UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


UNIVERSITY  of  CALIFORNIA 

AT 

Li    '   .;N(';i«;LES 
LIBRARY 


(Due    Bmcrican 


WASHINGTON'S 
BIRTHDAY 


ITS  HISTORY,  OBSERVANCE,  SPIRIT,  AND 
SIGNIFICANCE  AS  RELATED  IN  PROSE 
AND  VERSE,  WITH  A  SELECTION  FROM 
WASHINGTON'S  SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS 


EDITED   BY 

:2  7^74^ 
ROBERT  HAVEN  SCHAUFFLER 


4098 


Copyright^  iqto,  by 

MOFFAT,  YARD  AND  COMPANY 
New  York 

Published,  January,  iqio 
Second  Printing,  January,  iqia 


PREFACE 

popular  idea  of  Washington  has  recently  be- 
gun to  veer  away  from  the  vision  of  an  eighteenth 
century  demigod  in  a  wig, — an  old-fashioned  statue 
in  dusky  bronze,  stern  and  forbidding.  We  are 
swinging  around  toward  the  idea  of  a  loveable, 
fallible,  -very  human  personality  with  humor,  a  hot 
temper,  and  a  genuine  love  of  pleasure. 

Accordingly,  in  gathering  material  for  this  book 
the  editor  has  passed  by  those  earlier  writers  who 
are  mainly  responsible  for  this  distorted  view;  and 
he  has  aimed  to  gather  here  the  essays,  orations, 
poems,  stories,  and  exercises  which  best  exhibit  the 
modern  conception  of  Washington;  together  with  a 
selection  from  his  own  writings,  and  the  finest  of 
the  elder  tributes  to  the  memory  of  our  greatest  Na- 
tional Hero. 


NOTE 

The  Editor  and  Publishers  wish  to  acknowledge 
their  indebtedness  to  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Company ; 
Doubleday,  Page  &  Company;  J.  B.  Lippincott  & 
Co. ;  Mr.  David  McKay,  John  Macy,  and  others  who 
have  very  kindly  granted  permission  to  reprint  se- 
lections from  works  bearing  their  copyright. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION xi 

I 
THE  DAY 

WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY  .     Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  3 

WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY     .     Margaret  E.  Songster  4 

THE  BIRTHDAY  OF  WASHINGTON  .       .       .  Anonymous  5 

WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY       .       .     George  Howland  ^ 
•   WASHINGTON  AND  OUR  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES 

Charles  W.  Eliot  9 

CROWN  OUR  WASHINGTON     .     Hezekiah  Butterworth  12 

WASHINGTON-MONTH      ....     Will  Carleton  13 

II 

EARLY  YEARS 
A  GLIMPSE  OF  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHPLACE 

Grace  B.  Johnson      ij, 

SOMETHING  OF  GEORGE  WASHINGTON'S  BOYHOOD 

Anonymous      19 

WASHINGTON'S  TRAINING 

Charles  Wentworth  Upham      21 

WASHINGTON  AS  HE  LOOKED 24 

III 

THE  GENERAL 
WASHINGTON  Is  APPOINTED  COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF 

Sydney  George  Fisher      27 

WASHINGTON  AT  TRENTON  .  Richard  Watson  Gilder     33 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON 34 

VALLEY  FORGE     ....     Henry  Armitt  Brown      42 
WASHINGTON  AT  VALLEY  FORGE 

Canon  R.  G.  Sutherland      44 

A  FRENCHMAN'S  ESTIMATE  OF  WASHINGTON  IN  1781 

Claude   C.   Robin      45 

vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

IV 
THE  PRESIDENT 

WASHINGTON  AND  THE  CONSTITUTION  PAGE 

John  M.  Harlan  51 

WASHINGTON'S  ADMINISTRATION  .  Edward  S.  Ellis  53 

WASHINGTON Mary  Wingate  57 

WASHINGTON'S  INAUGURATION 

Edward  Everett  Hale  58 

WASHINGTONIANA 65 

LESSONS  FROM  THE  WASHINGTON  CENTENNIAL 

George  A.  Gordon  75 

PRESIDENT  WASHINGTON'S  RECEPTIONS 

William  Sullivan  78 

THE  FOREIGN  POLICY  OF  WASHINGTON 

Charles  James  Fox  80 

V 
LAST  DAYS 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  .  .  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie  85 
WASHINGTON'S  LAST  DAYS 

Elizabeth  Eggleston  Seelye  101 

THE  MOUNT  VERNON  TRIBUTE no 

THE  WORDS  OF  WASHINGTON     .       .     Daniel  Webster  in 

VI 

TRIBUTES 

MEMORIALS  OF  WASHINGTON  .  Henry  B.  Carrington  117 
FROM  THE  "  COMMEMORATION  ODE  " 

Harriet  Monroe  119 

WASHINGTON'S  STATUE  .  Henry  Theodore  Tuckerman  120 

TRIBUTES 122 

WASHINTON'S  NAME  IN  THE  HALL  OF  FAME 

Margaret  E.  Songster  141 

ESTIMATES  OF  WASHINGTON 142 

WASHINGTON'S  RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER 

William  M'Kinley  143 

WASHINGTON Anonymous  145 


CONTENTS  ix 

VII 

WASHINGTON'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY  PAGE 

THE  HIGHEST  PEDESTAL  .       .    William  E.  Gladstone  149 

WASHINGTON  IN  HISTORY  .       .  Chauncey  M.  Depew  150 

To  THE  SHADE  OF  WASHINGTON  .       .  Richard  Alsop  151 
THE  MAJESTIC  EMINENCE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Chauncey  M.  Depew  153 

FOR  A  LITTLE  PUPIL Anonymous  154 

WASHINGTON'S  FAME     ....     Asher  Robbins  154 
WASHINGTON,   THE   BRIGHTEST   NAME  ON   HISTORY'S 

PAGE Eliza  Cook  156 

WASHINGTON,   THE  PATRIOT 159 

VIII 

THE  WHOLE  MAN 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON     .       .       .    John  Hall  Ingham    163 
HISTORICAL  MEMORABILIA  OF  WASHINGTON 

H.  B.  Carrington    163 

A  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  WASHINGTON 

\ Henry  Mitchell  MacCracken    166 

THE  CHARACTER  OF  WASHINGTON    .    Daniel  Webster    169 
MOUNT  VERNON,  THE  HOME  OF  WASHINGTON 

William    Day    191 

THE  UNSELFISHNESS  OF  WASHINGTON 

Robert  Treat  Paine    191 

THE  GENIUS  OF  WASHINGTON     .      Edwin  P.  Whipple     193 
WASHINGTON'S  SERVICE  TO  EDUCATION 

Charles  W.  E.  Chapin    197 

ADDRESS   AT   THE  DEDICATION   OF   THE  WASHINGTON 

MONUMENT John  W.  Daniel    208 

THE  CHARACTER  OF  WASHINGTON 

Henry    Cabot    Lodge    217 

IX 
ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES 

ANECDOTES  OF  WASHINGTON 221 

THE  ABUSE  OF  WASHINGTON 

Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson    226 


x  CONTENTS 

PROVIDENTIAL  EVENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  WASHINGTON  PAGE 

Irving  Allen  227 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  WASHINGTON 239 

GREAT  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

.  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin  and  Nora  A.  Smith  247 

HEADQUARTERS  IN  1776  .      .         Paul  Leicester  Ford  254 

X 

SELECTIONS  FROM  WASHINGTON'S  SPEECHES 
AND  WRITINGS 

SELECTIONS  FROM  THE  RULES  OF  CIVILITY     .      .      .  263 

SAID  BY  WASHINGTON 266 

WASHINGTON  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE  OF  LONG  ISLAND, 

AUGUST,  1776 269 

FROM  VARIOUS  LETTERS,  SPEECHES,  AND  ADDRESSES     .  270 

WASHINGTON'S  FAREWELL  TO  THE  ARMY  .       .       .       .  279 
PRESIDENT  WASHINGTON'S  RESPONSE  TO  THE  FRENCH 
AMBASSADOR  ON  RECEIPT  OF  THE  COLORS  OF  FRANCE, 

1769   .                 280 

WASHINGTON'S  FAREWELL  ADDRESS 282 

XI 

EXERCISES 

DECORATIONS  FOR  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY  EXERCISES  309 
SOME  YEARS  IN  WASHINGTON'S  LIFE 

M.  Lizzie  Stanley  309 

SOMETHING  BETTER  ....  Clara  /.  Denton  318 
THE  STATES  CROWNING  WASHINGTON 

Kate  Bowles  Sherwood  319 

THE  NEW  GEORGE  WASHINGTON  .  .  Anonymous  324 

IN  PRAISE  OF  WASHINGTON 325 


INTRODUCTION 

A  GOOD  deal  of  American  history  was  once 
violently  distorted  by  the  partisanship  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  frozen  solid  by  its  icy  formal- 
ism, and  left  thus  for  the  edification  of  succeeding 
generations.  For  example,  it  was  not  until  1868 
that  Franklin's  Autobiography  was  by  accident 
given  to  the  world  in  the  simple  natural  style  in 
which  he  wrote  it.  The  book  had  been  "  edited  " 
by  Franklin's  loyalist  grandson,  and  had  been  cut 
and  tortured  into  the  pompous,  stilted  periods  that 
were  supposed  to  befit  the  dignity  of  so  important 
a  personage.  When  John  Bigelow  published  the 
original  with  all  its  naivete  and  homely  turns  of 
phrases  and  suppressed  passages,  he  shed  a  flood  of 
light  upon  Benjamin  Franklin. 

But  not  such  a  flood  as  has  still  more  recently 
been  shed  upon  our  struggle  for  independence,  and 
the  hero  who  led  it. 

Mr.  Sydney  George  Fisher1  has  shown  how  the 
history  of  the  Revolution  has  been  garbled  by  the 
historians  into  the  story  of  a  struggle  between  a  vil- 
lainous monster  on  the  one  hand,  and  a  virtuous 
fairy  on  the  other:  He  has  shown  how  a  period 

*In  "The  True  History  of  the  American  Revolution" 
and  "The  Struggle  for  American  Independence." 

xi 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

that  is  said  to  have  changed  the  thought  of  the  world 
like  the  epochs  of  Socrates,  of  Christ,  of  the  Refor- 
mation, and  of  the  French  Revolution,  has  been  de- 
scribed in  a  series  of  "  able  rhetorical  efforts,  en- 
larged Fourth-of-July  orations,  or  pleasing  literary 
essays  on  selected  phases  of  the  contest."  These 
writers  have  ignored  the  fearful  struggle  of  the 
patriots  with  the  loyalists,  the  early  leniency  of  Eng- 
land as  expressed  in  the  conduct  of  General  Howe, 
the  Clinton-Cornwallis  controversy,  and  many  other 
important  subjects.  In  short,  their  design  was — as 
Mr.  Wister  has  happily  put  it,  "  to  leave  out  any 
facts  which  spoil  the  political  picture  of  the  Revolu- 
tion they  chose  to  paint  for  our  edification;  a 
ferocious,  blood-shot  tyrant  on  the  one  side,  and  on 
the  other  a  compact  band  of  '  Fathers,'  downtrod- 
den and  martyred,  yet  with  impeccable  linen  and 
bland  legs." 

In  view  of  this  state  of  affairs,  it  is  not  strange 
that  Washington  should  have  shared  in  the  general 
misrepresentation.  Like  Franklin's,  his  writings, 
too,  were  altered  by  villainous  editors.  In  his  let- 
ters, for  example,  such  a  natural  phrase  as  "  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  will  be  but  a  flea-bite  " 
was  changed  to  "  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  will 
be  totally  inadequate." 

The  editors  were  aided  in  their  refrigerating  en- 
terprise by  a  throng  of  partisan  biographers,  first 
among  whom  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Weems,  that  arch- 
manipulator  of  facts  for  moral  purposes.  They 
were  helped  also  by  many  of  our  old  sculptors  and 
painters,  who  were  evidently  more  concerned  to 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

portray  a  grand  American  hero  in  a  wig  than  to  give 
us  a  real  man  of  flesh  and  blood. 

"  By  such  devices,"  writes  Owen  Wister,1  "  was 
a  frozen  image  of  George  Washington  held  up  for 
Americans  to  admire,  rigid  with  congealed  virtue, 
ungenial,  unreal,  to  whom  from  our  school-days  up 
we  have  been  paying  a  sincere  and  respectful  re- 
gard, but  a  regard  without  interest,  sympathy,  heart 
— or,  indeed,  belief.  It  thrills  a  true  American  to 
the  marrow  to  learn  at  last  that  this  far-off  figure, 
this  George  Washington,  this  man  of  patriotic  splen- 
dor, the  captain  and  savior  of  our  Revolution,  the 
self-sacrificing  and  devoted  President,  was  a  man 
also  with  a  hearty  laugh,  with  a  love  of  the  theater, 
with  a  white-hot  temper  ...  a  constant  sports- 
man, fox-hunter,  and  host.  ..." 

"  The  unfreezing  of  Washington  was  begun  by 
Irving,  but  was  in  that  day  a  venture  so  new  and 
startling,  that  Irving,  gentleman  and  scholar,  went 
at  it  gingerly  and  with  many  inferential  depreca- 
tions. His  hand,  however,  first  broke  the  ice, 
and  to-day  we  can  see  the  live  and  human 
Washington,  full  length.  He  does  not  lose  an 
inch  by  it,  and  we  gain  a  progenitor  of  flesh 
and  blood." 

Since  Irving  the  thawing  process  has  been  car- 
ried on  with  growing  success  by  such  able  biog- 
raphers as  Lodge  and  Scudder,  Hapgood  and  Ford, 
Woodrow  Wilson,  Owen  Wister,  and  Frederick 
Trevor  Hill. 

As  yet  this  new  idea  of  Washington's  essential 

'"The    Seven    Ages    of   Washington." 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

humanity  has  seemed  too  novel  and  startling  to 
make  its  way  deep  into  the  popular  conviction.  I 
say  "new  idea."  In  reality  it  is  a  very  old  idea; 
only  it  has  been  smothered  by  the  partisan  writers 
of  history  and  biography.  Certainly  the  accounts  of 
the  first  celebrations  of  Washington's  Birthday  do 
not  sound  as  though  our  ancestors  were  trying  to 
work  up  their  enthusiasm  over  a  steel-engraving 
hero. 

"  It  was  the  most  natural  thing,"  writes  Walsh,1 
"  for  our  forefathers  to  choose  Washington's  Birth- 
day as  a  time  for  general  thanksgiving  and  rejoicing, 
and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  observance  was 
not  delayed  until  after  the  death  of  Washington. 
Washington  had  the  satisfaction  of  receiving  the 
congratulations  of  his  fellow-citizens  many  times 
upon  the  return  of  his  birthday,  frequently  being  a 
guest  at  the  banquets  given  in  honor  of  the  oc- 
casion. In  fact,  after  the  Revolution,  Washing- 
ton's Birthday  practically  took  the  place  of  the 
birthday  of  the  various  crowned  heads  of  Great 
Britain,  which  had  always  been  celebrated  with  en- 
thusiasm during  colonial  times.  When  independ- 
ence was  established,  all  these  royal  birthdays  were 
cast  aside,  and  the  birthday  of  Washington  natu- 
rally became  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  in  the 
calendar  of  America's  holidays. 

"  It  may  be  interesting  at  this  time  to  look  back 
upon  those  early  days  of  the  republic  and  see  how 
the  newly  liberated  citizens  attested  their  admira- 
tion for  their  great  general  and  the  first  President  of 

*In  "Curiosities  of  Popular  Customs." 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

their  country.  But  the  people  did  not  wait  until 
Washington  was  raised  to  the  highest  position  his 
country  could  give  him  before  honoring  his  birth- 
day. 

"  The  first  recorded  mention  of  the  celebration  is 
said  to  be  the  one  in  The  Virginia  Gazette  or  The 
American  Advertiser  of  Richmond :  '  Tuesday  last 
being  the  birthday  of  his  Excellency,  General 
Washington,  our  illustrious  Commander-in-Chief, 
the  same  was  commemorated  here  with  the  utmost 
demonstrations  of  joy.'  The  day  thus  celebrated 
was  February  n,  1782,  the  Old  Style  in  the  cal- 
endar not  having  then  been  everywhere  and  for 
every  purpose  abandoned.  Indeed,  the  stone  placed 
as  late  as  in  1815  on  the  site  of  his  birthplace  in 
Westmoreland  County,  Virginia,  had  the  follow- 
ing inscription:  '  Here,  the  nth  of  February,  1732, 
George  Washington  was  born.' 

"Twelve  months  later  the  nth  was  com- 
memorated at  Talbot  Court-House  in  Maryland. 
On  the  same  day  a  number  of  gentlemen  met  in  a 
tavern  in  New  York.  One  had  written  an  ode. 
Another  brought  a  list  of  toasts.  All,  before  they 
went  reeling  and  singing  home,  agreed  to  assemble 
in  future  on  the  same  anniversary  and  make  merry 
over  the  birth  of  Washington. 

"  Next  year  they  had  an  ampler  opportunity.  In 
the  previous  October  the  British  troops  had  evacu- 
ated New  York  City,  which  was  gradually  recover- 
ing from  the  distresses  of  the  long  war.  The 
demonstrations  were  not  very  elaborate,  but  they 
were  intensely  patriotic.  In  a  newspaper  of  Febru- 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

ary  17,  1784,  we  find  an  interesting  account  of  this 
first  public  celebration  in  New  York : 

" '  Wednesday  last  being  the  birthday  of  his  Ex- 
cellency, General  Washington,  the  same  was  cele- 
brated here  by  all  the  true  friends  of  American  In- 
dependence and  Constitutional  Liberty  with  that 
hilarity  and  manly  decorum  ever  attendant  on  the 
Sons  of  Freedom.  In  the  evening  an  entertainment 
was  given  on  board  the  East  India  ship  in  this  har- 
bor to  a  very  brilliant  and  respectable  company,  and 
a  discharge  of  thirteen  cannon  was  fired  on  this  joy- 
ful occasion.' 

"  A  club  called  a  '  Select  Club  of  Whigs  '  assem- 
bled in  New  York  on  the  evening  of  February  n, 
and  a  brief  account  of  the  proceedings  at  its  meet- 
ing was  sent  to  the  New  York  Gazette,  with  an 
amusing  song,  written,  it  was  stated,  especially  for 
this  occasion.  The  following  stanzas  will  serve  as 
a  sample  of  this  effusion  of  poetical  patriotism : 

Americans,   rejoice; 

While  songs  employ  the  voice, 

Let  trumpets  sound. 
The  thirteen  stripes  display 
In  flags  and  streamers  gay, 
'Tis  Washington's  Birthday, 

Let  joy  abound. 

Long  may  he  live  to  see 
This  land  of  liberty 

Flourish  in  peace; 
Long  may  he  live  to  prove 
A  grateful  people's  love 
And  late  to  heaven  remove, 

Where  joys  ne'er  cease. 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

Fill  the  glass  to  the  brink, 
Washington's  health  we'll  drink, 

Tis  his  birthday. 
Glorious  deeds  he  has  done, 
By  him  our  cause  is  won, 
Long  live  great  Washington ! 

Huzza !    Huzza ! 

"  The  following  is  also  an  interesting  example  of 
newspaper  editorial  patriotism  which  appeared  in 
the  New  York  Gazette  at  the  same  time :  '  After  the 
Almighty  Author  of  our  existence  and  happiness,  to 
whom,  as  a  people,  are  we  under  the  greatest  obliga- 
tions ?  I  know  you  will  answer  "  To  Washing- 
ton." That  great,  that  gloriously  disinterested  man 
has,  without  the  idea  of  pecuniary  reward,  on  the 
contrary,  much  to  his  private  danger,  borne  the 
greatest  and  most  distinguished  part  in  our  political 
salvation.  He  is  now  retired  from  public  service, 
with,  I  trust,  the  approbation  of  God,  his  country, 
and  his  own  heart.  But  shall  we  forget  him  ?  No ; 
rather  let  our  hearts  cease  to  beat  than  an  ungrate- 
ful forgetfulness  shall  sully  the  part  any  of  us  have 
taken  in  the  redemption  of  our  country.  On  this 
day,  the  hero  enters  into  the  fifty-third  year  of  his 
age.  Shall  such  a  day  pass  unnoticed?  No;  let  a 
temperate  manifestation  of  joy  express  the  sense  we 
have  of  the  blessings  that  arose  upon  America  on 
that  day  which  gave  birth  to  Washington.  Let  us 
call  our  children  around  us  and  tell  them  the  many 
blessings  they  owe  to  him  and  to  those  illustrious 
characters  who  have  assisted  him  in  the  great  work 
of  the  emancipation  of  our  country,  and  urge  them 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

by  such  examples  to  transmit  the  delights  of  free- 
dom and  independence  to  their  posterity.' 

"  It  is  also  interesting  to  know  that  New  York 
City  was  not  the  only  place  in  the  country  remem- 
bering Washington's  Birthday  in  this  year  1784. 
The  residents  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  were  not  for- 
getful of  the  day,  and  in  the  evening  an  elegant  en- 
tertainment and  ball  were  given  in  the  Capitol  Build- 
ing, which,  we  are  informed,  were  largely  attended. 
So  late  as  1796,  Kentucky  and  Virginia  persisted  in 
preserving  the  Old  Style  date.  But  we  have  docu- 
mentary evidence  that  in  1790  the  Tammany  Society 
of  New  York  celebrated  the  day  on  February  22. 
The  society  had  been  organized  less  than  a  year,  and 
it  is  interesting  to  see  that  it  did  not  allow  the  first 
Washington's  Birthday  in  its  history  to  pass  by 
without  fitting  expressions  of  regard  for  the  man 
who  was  then  living  in  the  city  as  President  of  the 
United  States.  Washington,  at  that  time,  lived  in 
the  lower  part  of  Broadway,  a  few  doors  below 
Trinity  Church.  Congress  was  in  session  in  the  old 
City  Hall,  on  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Nassau  Streets, 
now  occupied  by  the  Sub-Treasury.  New  York  was 
the  capital  of  the  country,  but  it  was  the  last  year 
that  it  enjoyed  that  distinction,  for  before  the  close 
of  1790  the  seat  of  government  was  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  where  it  remained  until  1800,  when 
permanent  governmental  quarters  were  taken  up  at 
Washington.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  know  how  the 
founders  of  this  famous  political  organization  com- 
memorated Washington's  Birthday.  Fortunately, 
the  complete  account  of  this  first  Tammany  cele- 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

bration  has  been  preserved.  It  was  published  in  a 
New  York  newspaper,  a  day  or  two  after  the  event, 
as  follows: 

" '  At  a  meeting  of  the  Society  of  St.  Tammany, 
at  their  wigwam  in  this  city,  on  Monday  evening 
last,  after  finishing  the  ordinary  business  of  the 
evening,  it  was  unanimously  resolved :  That  the  22d 
day  of  February  be,  from  this  day  and  ever  after, 
commemorated  by  this  society  as  the  birthday  of  the 
Illustrious  George  Washington,  President  of  the 
United  States  of  America.  The  society  then  pro- 
ceeded to  the  commemoration  of  the  auspicious  day 
which  gave  birth  to  the  distinguished  chief,  and  the 
following  toasts  were  drank  in  porter,  the  produce 
of  the  United  States,  accompanied  with  universal 
acclamations  of  applause: 

1.  May    the    auspicious    birthday    of    our   great   Grand 
Sachem,  George  Washington,  ever  be  commemorated  by 
all  the  real  sons  of  St.  Tammany. 

2.  The  birthday  of  those  chiefs  who  lighted  the  great 
Council  Fire  in  1775. 

3.  The  glorious  Fourth  of  July,  1776,  the  birth  of  Ameri- 
can Independence. 

4.  The  perpetual  memory  of  those  Sachems  and  warriors 
who  have  been  called  by  the  Kitchi  Manitou  to  the  Wig- 
wam above  since  the  Revolution. 

5.  The  births  of  the  Sachems  and  warriors  who  have  pre- 
sided at  the  different  council  fires  of  the  thirteen  tribes 
since  1776. 

6.  Our  Chief  Sachem,  who  presides  over  the  council  fire 
of  our  tribe. 

7.  The  I2th  of  May,  which  is  the  birthday  of  our  titular 
saint  and  patron. 

8.  The  birth  of  Columbus,  our  secondary  patron. 


xx  INTRODUCTION 

9.  The  memory  of  the  great  Odagh  'Segte,  first  Grand 
Sachem  of  the  Oneida  Nation,  and  all  his  successors. 

10.  The  friends  and  patrons  of  virtue  and  freedom  from 
Tammany  to  Washington. 

11.  The  birth  of  the  present  National  Constitution,  I7th 
of  September,  1787. 

12.  The    Sachems    and    warriors    who    composed    that 
council. 

13.  May  the  guardian  genius  of  freedom  pronounce  at 
the  birth  of  all  her  sons — Where  Liberty  dwells,  there  is 
his  country. 

"  '  After  mutual  reciprocations  of  friendship  on 
the  joyous  occasion,  the  society  adjourned  with  their 
usual  order  and  harmony.' 

"  In  Washington  ever  since  the  first  President  was 
inaugurated  it  had  been  the  practice  of  the  House  to 
adjourn  for  half  an  hour  to  congratulate  him  on  the 
happy  return  of  his  natal  day.  But  this  observance 
was  dropped  in  1796,  on  account  of  the  animosities 
excited  by  the  Jay  Treaty. 

"  The  Philadelphians,  always  patriotic,  never  al- 
lowed Washington's  Birthday  to  go  by  without  the 
celebration.  In  1793  a  number  of  old  Revolutionary 
officers  belonging  to  the  First  Brigade  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Militia  had  a  '  very  splendid  entertainment  at 
Mr.  Hill's  tavern  in  Second  Street,  near  Race 
Street.'  According  to  a  Philadelphia  newspaper  ac- 
count, the  company  was  numerous  and  truly  re- 
spectable, and  among  the  guests  on  that  occasion 
were  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  Thomas  Mifm'n, 
and  Mr.  Muhlenberg,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives. At  all  these  patriotic  banquets  it  was 
customary  to  give  as  many  toasts  as  there  were 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

States  in  the  Union,  so  that  during  the  early  years 
we  invariably  find  that  thirteen  toasts  was  the  rule. 
As  new  States  were  added,  however,  extra  toasts 
were  added  to  the  list.  Just  when  this  custom  died 
out  can  perhaps  not  be  definitely  determined,  but 
probably  the  rapid  increase  of  the  States  may  have 
had  something  to  do  with  it,  as  the  diners  probably 
saw  that  it  was  taxing  their  drinking  abilities  too 
heavily  with  the  addition  of  each  new  State.  How- 
ever, at  this  Philadelphia  celebration  the  toasts  were 
fifteen,  as  two  new  States  had  recently  been  added, 
and  among  some  of  the  most  interesting  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 


The  people  of  the  United  States — May  their  dignity  and 
happiness  be  perpetual,  and  may  the  gratitude  of  the  Na- 
tion be  ever  commensurate  with  their  privileges. 

The  President  of  the  United  States — May  the  evening  of 
his  life  be  attended  with  felicity  equal  to  the  utility  and 
glory  of  its  meridian. 

The  Fair  Daughters  of  America — May  the  purity,  the 
rectitude,  and  the  virtues  of  their  mind  ever  continue 
equal  to  their  beauty  and  external  accomplishments. 

The  Republic  of  France — Wisdom  and  stability  to  her 
councils,  success  to  her  armies  and  navies,  and  may  her 
enemies  be  compensated  for  their  defeats  by  the  speedy 
and  general  diffusion  of  that  liberty  which  they  are  vainly 
attempting  to  suppress. 

May  Columbia  be  ever  able  to  boast  a  Jefferson  in  coun- 
cil, a  Hamilton  in  finance,  and,  when  necessary,  a  Wash- 
ington to  lead  her  armies  to  conquest  and  glory. 

The  Day — May  such  auspicious  periods  not  cease  to  recur 
till  every  day  in  the  year  shall  have  smiled  on  Columbia 
with  the  birth  of  a  Washington. 

Our  Unfortunate  Friend  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette — May 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

America  become  shortly  his  asylum  from  indignity  and 
wrong,  and  may  the  noon  and  evening  of  his  life  be  yet 
honorable  and  happy  in  the  bosom  of  that  country  where  its 
morning  shone  with  such  unclouded  splendor. 


"  In  conclusion,  the  newspaper  account  of  this 
celebration  states  that  '  the  afternoon  and  evening 
were  agreeably  spent  in  social  pleasures  and  con- 
vivial mirth,  and  the  conduct  of  the  whole  company 
was  marked  by  that  politeness,  harmony,  and  friend- 
ship which  ought  ever  to  characterize  the  intercourse 
of  fellow-citizens  and  gentlemen.' 

"  Balls  and  banquets,  it  will  be  seen,  were  the 
chief  methods  employed  in  celebrating  the  day,  and 
there  was  hardly  a  town  so  small  that  it  could  not 
manage  to  have  at  least  one  of  these  functions  in 
honor  of  George  Washington.  The  early  news- 
papers for  a  month,  and  often  longer,  after  the  226. 
of  February,  were  filled  with  brief  accounts  of  these 
celebrations  from  different  localities.  Many  of 
them  are  very  interesting,  showing,  as  they  do,  the 
patriotism  of  the  people,  as  well  as  their  customs 
and  habits  in  their  social  entertainments.  For  in- 
stance, when  Washington's  Birthday  was  celebrated 
in  Alexandria,  Virginia,  in  1791,  the  Baltimore  Ad- 
vertiser gives  us  the  following  amusing  account  of 
a  ball  held  at  Wise's  tavern: 

"  '  The  meeting  was  numerous  and  brilliant.  Joy 
beamed  in  every  countenance.  Sparkling  eyes, 
dimpled  cheeks  dressed  in  smiles,  prompted  by  the 
occasion,  with  all  the  various  graces  of  female 
beauty,  contributed  to  heighten  the  pleasure  of  the 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

scene.  At  an  interesting  moment  a  portrait  of  the 
President,  a  striking  likeness,  was  suddenly  ex- 
hibited. The  illustrious  original  had  been  often 
seen  in  the  same  room  in  the  mild  character  of  a 
friend,  a  pleased  and  pleasing  guest.  The  song  of 
"  God  Bless  Great  Washington,  Long  Live  Great 
Washington,"  succeeded.  In  this  prayer  many 
voices  and  all  hearts  united.  May  it  not  be  breathed 
in  vain.'  " 

In  course  of  time  Washington's  Birthday  was 
made  a  legal  holiday  in  one  State  after  another,  un- 
til to-day  it  is  legally  recognized  in  every  State  but 
Alabama. 

But  as  it  gradually  became  legalized,  so  it  also 
became  formalized  little  by  little,  until,  in  some 
parts  of  America,  the  very  phrase,  "  a  Washington's 
Birthday  celebration,"  came  to  mean  a  sort  of  exer- 
cise in  hypocrisy, — a  half-hearted  attempt  to  gal- 
vanize a  dead  emotion  into  life. 

This  attitude  toward  Washington  as  a  man  was 
due  largely  to  the  misrepresentations  of  the  early 
literature.  Three  distinct  eras  in  our  regard  for 
him  as  a  public  character  have  been  pointed  out 
by  Bradley  T.  Johnson : 1 

The  generation  which  fought  the  Revolution,  framed 
and  adopted  the  Constitution,  and  established  the  United 
States  were  impressed  with  the  most  profound  veneration, 
the  most  devoted  affection,  the  most  absolute  idolatry  for 
the  hero,  sage,  statesman.  In  the  reaction  that  came  in 
the  next  generation  against  "the  old  soldiers,"  who  for 
thirty  years  had  assumed  all  the  honors  and  enjoyed  all 

1 "  General  Washington." 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION 

the  fruits  of  the  victory  that  they  had  won,  accelerated 
by  the  division  in  American  sentiment  for  or  against  the 
French  Revolution,  it  came  to  be  felt,  as  the  younger  gen- 
eration always  will  feel,  that  the  achievements  of  the 
veterans  had  been  greatly  overrated  and  their  demigod 
enormously  exaggerated.  They  thought,  as  English  Harry 
did  at  Agincourt,  that  "  Old  men  forget :  yet  all  shall  be 
forgot,  but  they'll  remember  with  advantages  what  feats 
they  did  that  day." 

The  fierce  attacks  of  the  Jeffersonian  Democracy  on 
Washington,  his  principles,  his  life,  and  his  habits,  exer- 
cised a  potent  influence  in  diminishing  the  general  respect 
for  his  abilities  felt  by  the  preceding  generation ;  and 
Washington  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  worthy,  honest,  well- 
meaning  gentleman,  but  with  no  capacity  for  military  and 
only  mediocre  ability  in  civil  affairs.  This  estimate  con- 
tinued from  the  beginning  of  Jefferson's  administration  to 
the  first  of  Grant's.  Neither  Marshall  nor  Irving  did  much 
during  that  period  to  place  him  in  a  proper  historical 
light.  .  .  . 

But  in  the  last  twenty-five  years  there  has  been  a  steady 
drift  toward  giving  Washington  his  proper  place  in  history 
and  his  appropriate  appreciation  as  soldier  and  statesman. 
The  general  who  never  won  a  battle  is  now  understood 
to  have  been  the  Revolution  itself,  and  one  of  the  great 
generals  of  history.  The  statesman  who  never  made  a 
motion,  nor  devised  a  measure,  nor  constructed  a  proposi- 
tion in  the  convention  of  which  he  was  president,  is  appre- 
ciated as  the  spirit,  the  energy,  the  force,  the  wisdom 
which  initiated,  organized,  and  directed  the  formation  of 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  Union  by, 
through,  and  under  it;  and  therefore  it  seems  now  pos- 
sible to  present  him  as  the  Virginian  soldier,  gentleman, 
and  planter,  as  a  man,  the  evolution  of  the  society  of 
which  he  formed  a  part,  representative  of  his  epoch,  and 
his  surroundings,  developed  by  circumstances  into  the 
greatest  character  of  all  time — the  first  and  most  illustrious 
of  Americans. 


INTRODUCTION  xxv 

Henry  Cabot  Lodge,1  writing  in  1899,  was  one  of 
the  first  to  discover  "  the  new  Washington."  "  The 
real  man,"  he  wrote,  "  has  been  so  overlaid  with 
myths  and  traditions,  and  so  distorted  by  mislead- 
ing criticisms,  that  ...  he  has  been  wellnigh 
lost.  We  have  the  religious  and  statuesque  myth, 
we  have  the  Weems  myth  (which  turns  Washing- 
ton into  a  faultless  prig),  and  the  ludicrous  myth 
of  the  writer  of  paragraphs.  We  have  the  stately 
hero  of  Sparks,  and  Everett,  and  Marshall,  and 
Irving,  with  all  his  great  deeds  as  general  and 
President  duly  recorded  and  set  down  in  polished 
and  eloquent  sentences;  and  we  know  him  to  be 
very  great  and  wise  and  pure,  and,  be  it  said  with 
bated  breath,  very  dry  and  cold.  ...  In  death  as 
in  life,  there  is  something  about  Washington,  call 
it  greatness,  dignity,  majesty,  what  you  will,  which 
seems  to  hold  men  aloof  and  keep  them  from  know- 
ing him.  In  truth  he  was  a  difficult  man  to 
know.  .  .  . 

"  Behind  the  popular  myths,  behind  the  statuesque 
figure  of  the  orator  and  the  preacher,  behind  the 
general  and  the  President  of  the  historian,  there  was 
a  strong,  vigorous  man,  in  whose  veins  ran  warm, 
red  blood,  in  whose  heart  were  stormy  passions  and 
deep  sympathy  for  humanity,  in  whose  brain  were 
far-reaching  thoughts,  and  who  was  informed 
throughout  his  being  with  a  resistless  will." 

It  is  a  shameful  thing  that  there  should  ever  have 
been  any  doubt  in  American  minds  of  the  true  sig- 
nificance of  Washington  either  as  man  or  soldier 

1  Introduction  to  "  George  Washington." 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION 

or  statesman.  But  the  writers  of  our  day  have  de- 
cided that — if  they  can  help  it — the  sins  of  the 
fathers  are  not  going  to  be  visited  upon  "  the  third 
and  fourth  generation."  The  call  has  gone  out  for 
modern  champions  of  our  ancient  champion;  and 
literature  has  responded  with  a  will. 

It  takes  long,  however,  to  straighten  out  a  na- 
tional misconception.  The  new  literature  has  not 
yet  had  time  to  take  hold  of  the  popular  imagination. 
But  when  it  does,  and  when  we  cease  to  regard 
the  Father  of  our  Country  as  a  demigod,  and  begin 
to  love  him  as  a  man,  then  Washington's  Birthdays 
everywhere  will  lose  their  stiff,  perfunctory,  blood- 
less character,  and  recover  the  inspiring,  emotional 
quality  of  the  early  celebrations. 

R.  H.  S. 


THE  DAY 


WASHINGTON'S   BIRTHDAY1 
2  7  JT  ?  v 

BY  OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES 

Welcome  to  the  day  returning, 

Dearer  still  as  ages  flow, 
While  the  torch  of  Faith  is  burning, 

Long  as  Freedom's  altars  glow ! 
See  the  hero  whom  it  gave  us 

Slumbering  on  a  mother's  breast  ; 
For  the  arm  he  stretched  to  save  us 

Be  its  morn  forever  blest! 

Vain  is  empire's  mad  temptation! 

Not  for  him  an  earthly  crown! 
He  whose  sword  has  freed  a  nation 

Strikes  the  offered  scepter  down. 
See  the  throneless  conqueror  seated, 

Ruler  by  a  people's  choice; 
See  the  patriot's  task  completed; 

Hear  the  Father's  dying  voice: 

"  By  the  name  that  you  inherit, 
By  the  sufferings  you  recall, 

Cherish  the  fraternal  spirit; 
Love  your  country  first  of  all! 

1  By  permission  of  the  publishers,  Houghton,  Mifflin  &. 
Co. 


WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Listen  not  to  idle  questions 

If  its  bands  may  be  untied ; 
Doubt   the   patriot   whose   suggestions 

Strive  a  nation  to  divide." 

Father!  we,  whose  ears  have  tingled 

With  the  discord  notes  of  shame; 
We,  whose  sires  their  blood  have  mingled 

In  the  battle's  thunder-flame, — 
Gathering,   while  this  holy  morning 

Lights  the  land  from  sea  to  sea, 
Hear  thy  counsel,  heed  thy  warning; 

Trust  us  while  we  honor  thee. 


WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

BY  MARGARET  E.  SANGSTER 


'Tis  splendid  to  live  so  grandly 

That  long  after  you  are  gone, 
The  things  you  did  are  remembered, 

And  recounted  under  the  sun; 
To  live  so  bravely  and  purely, 

That  a  nation  stops  on  its  way, 
And  once  a  year,  with  banner  and  drum, 

Keeps  its  thought  of  your  natal  day. 

'Tis  splendid  to  have  a  record, 
So  white  and  free  from  stain 

That,  held  to  the  light,  it  shows  no  blot, 
Though  tested  and  tried  amain; 


THE  DAY 

That  age  to  age  forever 

Repeats  its  story  of  love, 
And  your  birthday  lives  in  a  nation's  heart, 

All  other  days  above. 

And  this  is  Washington's  glory, 

A  steadfast  soul  and  true, 
Who  stood  for  his  country's  honor 

When  his  country's  days  were  few. 
And  now  when  its  days  are  many, 

And  its  flag  of  stars  is  flung 
To  the  breeze  in  defiant  challenge, 

His  name  is  on  every  tongue. 

Yes,  it's  splendid  to  live  so  bravely, 

To  be  so  great  and  strong, 
That  your  memory  is  ever  a  tocsin 

To  rally  the  foes  of  the  wrong; 
To  live  so  proudly  and  purely 

That  your  people  pause  in  their  way, 
And  year  by  year,  with  banner  and  drum, 

Keep  the  thought  of  your  natal  day. 

/ 


THE  BIRTHDAY  OF  WASHINGTON 

ANONYMOUS 

The  birthday  of  the  "  Father  of  his  Country !  " 
May  it  ever  be  freshly  remembered  by  American 
hearts !  May  it  ever  reawaken  in  them  a  filial  ven- 


6  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

eration  for  his  memory;  ever  rekindle  the  fires  of 
patriotic  regard  for  the  country  which  he  loved  so 
well,  to  which  he  gave  his  youthful  vigor  and  his 
youthful  energy;  to  which  he  devoted  his  life  in  the 
maturity  of  his  powers,  in  the  field ;  to  which  again 
he  offered  the  counsels  of  his  wisdom  and  his  ex- 
perience as  president  of  the  convention  that  framed 
our  Constitution;  which  he  guided  and  directed 
while  in  the  chair  of  state,  and  for  which  the  last 
prayer  of  his  earthly  supplication  was  offered  up, 
when  it  came  the  moment  for  him  so  well,  and  so 
grandly,  and  so  calmly,  to  die.  He  was  the  first 
man  of  the  time  in  which  he  grew.  His  memory  is 
first  and  most  sacred  in  our  love,  and  ever  hereafter, 
till  the  last  drop  of  blood  shall  freeze  in  the  last 
American  heart,  his  name  shall  be  a  spell  of  power 
and  of  might. 

Yes,  gentlemen,  there  is  one  personal,  one  vast 
felicity,  which  no  man  can  share  with  him.  It  was 
the  daily  beauty  and  towering  and  matchless  glory 
of  his  life  which  enabled  him  to  create  his  country, 
and  at  the  same  time  secure  an  undying  love  and 
regard  from  the  whole  American  people.  "  The 
first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  !  "  Yes,  first ! 
He  has  our  first  and  most  fervent  love.  Un- 
doubtedly there  were  brave  and  wise  and  good  men 
before  his  day,  in  every  colony.  But  the  American 
nation,  as  a  nation,  I  do  not  reckon  to  have  begun 
before  1774,  and  the  first  love  of  that  young  Amer- 
ica was  Washington.  The  first  word  she  lisped  was 
his  name.  Her  earliest  breath  spoke  it.  It  still  is 
her  proud  ejaculation;  and  it  will  be  the  last  gasp 


THE  DAY  7 

of  her  expiring  life !  Yes ;  others  of  our  great  men 
have  been  appreciated — many  admired  by  all — but 
him  we  love;  him  we  all  love.  About  and  around 
him  we  call  up  no  dissentient,  discordant,  and  dis- 
satisfied elements — no  sectional  prejudice  nor  bias — 
no  party,  no  creed,  no  dogma  of  politics.  None  of 
these  shall  assail  him.  Yes ;  when  the  storm  of 
battle  blows  darkest  and  rages  highest,  the  memory 
of  Washington  shall  nerve  every  American  arm  and 
cheer  every  American  heart.  It  shall  relume  that 
Promethean  fire,  that  sublime  flame  of  patriotism, 
that  devoted  love  of  country,  which  his  words  have 
commended,  which  his  example  has  consecrated. 


WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

BY  GEORGE  ROWLAND 

Welcome,  thou  festal  morn! 
Never  be  passed  in  scorn 

Thy  rising  sun, 
Thou  day  forever  bright 
With  Freedom's  holy  light, 
That  gave  the  world  the  sight 

Of  Washington. 

Unshaken  'mid  the  storm, 
Behold  that  noble  form — 
That  peerless  one — 


WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

With  his  protecting  hand, 
Like  Freedom's  angel  stand 
The  guardian  of  our  land, 
Our  Washington. 

Then  with  each  coming  year, 
Whenever  shall  appear 

That  natal  sun, 
Will  we  attest  the  worth, 
Of  one  true  man  to  earth, 
And  celebrate  the  birth 

Of  Washington. 

Traced  there  in  lines  of  light, 
Where  all  pure  rays  unite, 

Obscured  by  none  ; 
Brightest  on  history's  page, 
Of  any  clime  or  age, 
As  chieftain,  man,  and  sage, 

Stands  Washington. 

Name  at  which  tyrants  pale, 
And  their  proud  legions  quail, 

Their  boasting  done; 
While  Freedom  lifts  her  head, 
No  longer  filled  with  dread, 
Her  sons  to  victory  led 

By  Washington. 

Now  the  true  patriot  see, 
The  foremost  of  the  free, 
The  victory  won. 


THE  DAY 

In  Freedom's  presence  bow, 
While  sweetly  smiling  now, 
She  wreaths  the  smiling  brow 
Of  Washington. 

Then  with  each  coming  year, 
Whenever  shall  appear 

That  natal  sun, 
Shall  we  attest  the  worth 
Of  one  true  man  to  earth, 
And  celebrate  the  birth 

Of  Washington. 


WASHINGTON  AND  OUR  SCHOOLS  AND 
COLLEGES 


BY  CHARLES  W.  ELIOT 


.ietf 


The  brief  phrase — the  schools  and  colleges  of 
the  United  States — is  a  formal  and  familiar  one; 
but  what  imagination  can  grasp  the  infinitude  of 
human  affections,  powers,  and  wills  which  it  really 
comprises?  But  let  us  forget  the  outward  things 
called  schools  and  colleges,  and  summon  up  the 
human  beings.  Imagine  the  eight  million  children 
actually  in  attendance  at  the  elementary  schools  of 
the  country  brought  before  your  view.  Each  unit 
in  this  mass  speaks  of  a  glad  birth,  a  brightened 
home,  a  mother's  pondering  heart,  a  father's  care- 
ful joy,  In  all  that  multitude,  every  little  heart 


io  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

bounds  and  every  eye  shines  at  the  name  of  Wash- 
ington. 

The  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  boys  and 
girls  in  the  secondary  schools  are  getting  a  fuller 
view  of  this  incomparable  character  than  the 
younger  children  can  reach.  They  are  old  enough 
to  understand  his  civil  as  well  as  his  military 
achievements.  They  learn  of  his  great  part  in  that 
immortal  Federal  convention  of  1787,  of  his  in- 
estimable services  in  organizing  and  conducting 
through  two  Presidential  terms  the  new  Govern- 
ment,— services  of  which  he  alone  was  capable, — 
and  of  his  firm  resistance  to  misguided  popular 
clamor.  They  see  him  ultimately  victorious  in  war 
and  successful  in  peace,  but  only  through  much  ad- 
versity and  many  obstacles. 

Wxt,  picture  to  yourselves  the  sixty  thousand  stu- 
df,A  V7  colleges  and  universities — selected  youth  of 
keel*]  lligence,  wide  reading,  and  high  ambition. 
They  are  able  to  compare  Washington  with  the 
greatest  men  of  other  times  and  countries,  and  to 
appreciate  the  unique  quality  of  his  renown.  They 
can  set  him  beside  the  heroes  of  romance  and  his- 
tory— beside  David,  Alexander,  Pericles,  Caesar, 
Saladin,  Charlemagne,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  John 
Hampden,  William  the  Silent,  Peter  of  Russia,  and 
Frederick  the  Great,  only  to  find  him  a  nobler 
human  type  than  any  one  of  them,  more  complete 
in  his  nature,  more  happy  in  his  cause,  and  more 
fortunate  in  the  issues  of  his  career.  They  are 
taught  to  see  in  him  a  soldier  whose  sword  wrought 
only  mercy  and  justice  for  mankind;  a  statesman 


THE  DAY  ii 

who  steadied  a  remarkable  generation  of  public  men 
by  his  mental  poise  and  exalted  them  by  his  single- 
ness of  heart;  and  a  ruler  whose  exercise  of  power 
established  for  the  time  on  earth  a  righteous  gov- 
ernment by  all  and  for  all. 

And  what  shall  I  say  on  behalf  of  the  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  thousand  teachers  of  the  United 
States?  None  of  them  are  rich  or  famous;  most 
of  them  are  poor,  retiring,  and  unnoticed ;  but  it  is 
they  who  are  building  a  perennial  monument  to 
Washington.  It  is  they  who  give  him  a  million- 
tongued  fame.  They  make  him  live  again  in  the 
young  hearts  of  successive  generations,  and  fix  his 
image  there  as  the  American  ideal  of  a  public 
servant.  It  is  through  the  schools  and  colleges  and 
the  national  literature  that  the  heroes  of  any  peo- 
ple win  lasting  renown ;  and  it  is  through  these  same 
agencies  that  a  nation  is  molded  into  the  likeness  of 
its  heroes. 

The  commemoration  of  any  one  great  event  in 
the  life  of  Washington  and  of  the  United  States 
is  well,  but  it  is  nothing  compared  with  the  in- 
cessant memorial  of  him  which  the  schools  and 
colleges  of  the  country  maintain  from  generation 
to  generation.  What  a  reward  is  Washington's! 
What  an  influence  is  his  and  will  be!  One  mind 
and  will  transfused  by  sympathetic  instruction  into 
millions;  one  life  pattern  for  all  public  men,  teach- 
ing what  greatness  is  and  what  the  pathway  to  un- 
dying fame ! 


12          WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 
CROWN  OUR  WASHINGTON 

BY    HEZEKIAH    BUTTERWORTH 

Arise!  'tis  the  day  of  our  Washington's  glory; 

The  garlands  uplift  for  our  liberties  won. 
Oh  sing  in  your  gladness  his  echoing  story, 

Whose  sword  swept  for  freedom  the  fields  of  the 
sun! 

Not  with  gold,  nor  with  gems, 
But  with  evergreens  vernal, 
And  the  banners  of  stars  that  the  continent  span, 
Crown,  crown  we  the  chief  of  the  heroes  eternal, 
Who  lifted  his  sword  for  the  birthright  of  man ! 

He  gave  us  a  nation  to  make  it  immortal ; 

He  laid  down  for  Freedom  the  sword  that  he 

drew, 
And  his  faith  leads  us  on  through  the  uplifting 

portal 

Of  the  glories  of  peace  and  our  destinies  new. 
Not  with  gold,  nor  with  gems, 
But  with  evergreens  vernal, 
And  the  flags  that  the  nations  of  liberty  span, 
Crown,  crown  him  the  chief  of  the  heroes  eternal, 
Who  laid  down  his  sword  for  the  birthright  of  man ! 

Lead,  Face  of  the  Future,  serene  in  thy  beauty, 
Till  o'er  the  dead  heroes  the  peace  star  shall 

gleam, 
Till  Right  shall  be  Might  in  the  counsels  of  duty, 


THE  DAY  13 

And  the  service  of  man  be  life's  glory  supreme. 

Not  with  gold,  nor  with  gems, 

But  with  evergreens  vernal, 

And  the  flags  that  the  nations  in  brotherhood  span, 
Crown,  crown  we  the  chief  of  the  heroes  eternal, 
Whose  honor  was  gained  by  his  service  to  man ! 

O  Spirit  of  Liberty,  sweet  are  thy  numbers ! 

The  winds  to  thy  banners  their  tribute  shall  bring 
While  rolls  the  Potomac  where  Washington  slum- 
bers, 

And  his  natal  day  comes  with  the  angels  of  spring. 
We  follow  thy  counsels, 
O  hero  eternal ! 

To  highest  achievement  thy  school  leads  the  van, 
And,  crowning  thy  brow  with  the  evergreen  vernal, 
We  pledge  thee  our  all  to  the  service  of  man! 


WASHINGTON-MONTH  » 

BY    WILL   CARLETON 

February — February — 

How  your  moods  and  actions  vary 

Or  to  seek  or  shun! 
Now  a  smile  of  sunlight  lifting, 
Now  in  chilly  snowflakes  drifting; 
Now  with  icy  shuttles  creeping 

Silver  webs  are  spun. 

1  By  permission  of  the  author. 


I4  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Now,  with  leaden  torrents  leaping, 

Oceanward  you  run, 
Now  with  bells  you  blithely  sing, 

'Neath  the  stars  or  sun; 
Now  a  blade  of  burdock  bring 

To  the  suff'ring  one; 
February — you  are  very 

Dear,  when  all  is  done: 
Many  blessings  rest  above  you, 
You  one  day  (and  so  we  love  you) 

Gave  us  Washington. 


II 

EARLY  YEARS 


A  GLIMPSE  OF   WAfclNGTON'S   BIRTH- 
PLACE 

BY   GRACE   B.   JOHNSON 

From  The  Christian  Endeavor  World 

Seldom  visited  and  almost  unknown  is  the  Wake- 
field  Farm  in  Virginia,  the  birthplace  of  our  first 
President.  Recent  attempts  have  been  made  to 
popularize  the  place,  but  there  is  little  to  attract  the 
ordinary  traveler;  and  its  distance  from  a  city 
makes  excursions  impracticable. 

Lying  on  the  Potomac  River,  about  seventy  miles 
below  the  city  of  Washington,  one  edge  of  the 
estate  reaches  down  a  steep,  wooded  bank  to  dip 
into  the  water,  while,  stretching  back,  it  rambles  on 
in  grassy  meadows  and  old  stubble-fields  to  the 
corn-lands  and  orchards  of  the  adjoining  planta- 
tions. Skirting  the  land  on  one  side  is  Pope's 
Creek,  formerly  Bridges'  Creek,  which  in  Wash- 
ington's time  was  used  as  the  main  approach  to  the 
estate.  On  this  side  there  is  an  easy,  undulating 
slope ;  but  this  entrance  has  been  abandoned.  Only 
at  high  tide  can  small  boats  enter  the  creek,  and  an- 
other way  had  to  be  adopted.  An  iron  pier  nearly 
two  miles  away  has  been  built,  and  is  the  landing- 
place  for  large  and  small  craft. 

17 


18  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

All  is  quiet  here  now.  There  is  only  the  rustle  of 
the  leaves,  the  drowsy  hum  of  insects,  and  the  inter- 
rupted discourse  of  the  preacher-bird  in  the  clump 
of  trees  near  which  stood  the  first  home  of  Wash- 
ington, to  break  the  stillness  on  a  summer  day.  No 
one  lives  here.  Indeed,  no  one  has  lived  here  since 
the  fire  which  destroyed  the  house  and  negro  cabins, 
in  Washington's  boyhood.  But  here  the  baby  life 
was  spent,  in  the  homestead  founded  by  his  great- 
grandfather, John  Washington,  who  came  from 
England  in  1657. 

Only  a  heap  of  broken  bits  grown  over  with  cat- 
nip showed  the  place  of  the  great  brick  chimney  the 
first  time  I  visited  the  farm;  and  the  second  time 
these,  too,  were  gone.  Now  a  plain,  graceful  shaft, 
bearing  the  simple  inscription,  "  Washington's 
Birthplace,"  and  below,  "  Erected  by  the  United 
States,  A.D.  1895,"  marks  the  place. 

From  the  monument  through  the  trees,  can  be 
seen  the  gleaming  river,  rippling  its  way  silently  to 
the  bay,  and  over  all  rests  the  same  brooding  sense 
of  peace  and  quietness  which  one  feels  at  Mt. 
Vernon  or  at  Arlington,  the  city  of  our  nation's 
dead. 


EARLY  YEARS  19 

SOMETHING  OF  GEORGE  WASHINGTON'S 
BOYHOOD 

ANONYMOUS 

From  The  Evangelist 

George  Washington  was  born  at  a  time  when 
savagery  had  just  departed  from  the  country,  leav- 
ing freshness  and  vigor  behind.  The-^ridian  had 
scarcely  left  the  woods,  and  the  pirate  the  shore 
near  his  home.  His  grandfather  had  seen  his  neigh- 
bor lying  tomahawked  at  his  door-sill,  and  his  father 
had  helped  to  chase  beyond  the  mountains  the 
whooping  savages  that  carried  the  scalps  of  his 
friends  at  their  girdle.  The  year  his  brother  was 
born,  John  Maynard's  ship  had  sailed  up  the  James 
River  with  the  bloody  head  of  Blackbeard  hanging 
to  the  bowsprit. 

He  had  only  one  uncle,  a  brother  Lawrence,  and 
a  cousin  Augustine,  all  older  than  he,  but  the  young- 
est of  his  older  brothers  was  twelve  years  of  age 
when  George  was  born,  while  his  cousin  Augustine 
was  only  four  years  older,  and  his  cousin  Lawrence 
six  years  older  than  himself.  When  he  was  seven 
years  old  his  sister  Betty  was  a  little  lass  of  six. 
Two  brothers,  Samuel  and  John,  were  nearing  their 
fourth  and  fifth  birthdays.  Charles,  his  baby 
brother,  was  still  in  his  nurse's  arms.  Early  the 
shadow  of  death  crossed  his  boyish  path,  for  his 
baby  sister,  Mildred,  born  soon  after  he  was  seven, 
died  before  he  was  nine. 


20  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

The  first  playmate  Washington  had,  out  of  his 
own  immediate  family,  was  another  Lawrence 
Washington,  a  very  distant  cousin,  who  lived  at 
Chotauk  on  the  Potomac,  and  who,  with  his  brother, 
Robert  Washington,  early  won  Washington's  re- 
gard, and  kept  it  through  life.  When  Washington 
made  his  will  he  remembered  them,  writing,  "  to  the 
acquaintances  and  friends  of  my  juvenile  years, 
Lawrence  Washington  and  Robert  Washington,  I 
give  my  other  two  gold-headed  canes  having  my 
arms  engraved  on  them." 

It  was  at  Chotauk,  with  Lai  and  Bob  Washing- 
ton, that  George  Washington  first  met  with  traffic 
between  the  old  world  and  the  new.  There  was  no 
money  used  except  tobacco  notes,  which  passed 
among  merchants  in  London  and  Amsterdam  as 
cash.  Foreign  ships  brought  across  the  ocean  goods 
that  the  Virginians  needed,  and  the  captains  sold 
the  goods  for  these  tobacco  notes.  Much  of  Wash- 
ington's time  was  spent  with  these  boys,  and  when 
he  grew  old  he  recalled  the  young  eyes  of  the  Cho- 
tauk lads,  as  they,  with  him,  had  stood  on  the  river- 
bank  vainly  trying  to  see  clearly  some  object  beyond 
vision,  and  in  memory  of  the  time  he  wrote  in  his 
will,  "  To  each  I  leave  one  of  my  spy-glasses  which 
constituted  part  of  my  equipage  during  the  late 
war." 

Of  Washington's  first  school  there  is  no  record  or 
tradition  other  '.han  that  gathered  by  Parson  Weems. 
He  says :  "  The  first  place  of  education  to  which 
George  was  ever  sent  was  a  little  old  field  school 
kept  by  one  of  his  father's  tenants,  named  Hobby, 


EARLY  YEARS  21 

an  honest,  poor  old  man,  who  acted  in  the  double 
capacity  of  sexton  and  schoolmaster.  Of  his  skill 
as  a  gravedigger  tradition  is  silent;  but  for  a 
teacher  of  youth  his  qualifications  were  certainly  of 
the  humbler  sort,  making  what  is  generally  called 
an  A,  B,  C  schoolmaster.  While  at  school  under 
Mr.  Hobby  he  used  to  divide  his  playmates  into 
parties  and  armies.  One  of  them  was  called  the 
French  and  the  other  American.  A  big  boy  named 
William  Bustle  commanded  the  former;  George 
commanded  the  latter,  and  every  day  with  cornstalks 
for  muskets  and  calabashes  [gourds]  for  drums,  the 
two  armies  would  turn  out  and  march  and  fight." 


WASHINGTON'S  TRAINING 

BY   CHARLES   V/ENTWORTH   UPHAM 

Among  the  mountain  passes  of  the  Blue  Ridge 
and  the  Alleghanies,  a  youth  is  seen  employed  in  the 
manly  and  invigorating  occupation  of  a  surveyor, 
and  awakening  the  admiration  of  the  backwoods- 
men and  savage  chieftains  by  the  strength  and  en- 
durance of  his  frame  and  the  resolution  and  energy 
of  his  character.  In  his  stature  and  conformation 
he  is  a  noble  specimen  of  a  man.  In  the  various  ex- 
ercises of  muscular  power,  on  foot,  or  in  the  saddle, 
he  excels  all  competitors.  His  admirable  physical 
traits  are  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  properties 


22  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

of  his  mind  and  heart ;  and  over  all,  crowning  all,  is 
a  beautiful,  and,  in  one  so  strong,  a  strange  dignity 
of  manner,  and  of  mien — a  calm  seriousness,  a 
sublime  self-control,  which  at  once  compels  the  ven- 
eration, attracts  the  confidence,  and  secures  the 
favor  of  all  who  behold  him.  That  youth  is  the 
Leader  whom  Heaven  is  preparing  to  conduct  Amer- 
ica through  her  approaching  trial. 

As  we  see  him  voluntarily  relinquishing  the  enjoy- 
ments, luxuries,  and  ease  of  the  opulent  refinement 
in  which  he  was  born  and  bred,  and  choosing  the 
perils  and  hardships  of  the  wilderness;  as  we  fol- 
low him  fording  swollen  streams,  climbing  rugged 
mountains,  breasting  the  forest  storms,  wading 
through  snowdrifts,  sleeping  in  the  open  air,  living 
upon  the  coarse  food  of  hunters  and  of  Indians,  we 
trace  with  devout  admiration  the  divinely  appointed 
education  he  was  receiving  to  enable  him  to  meet 
and  endure  the  fatigues,  exposures,  and  privations 
of  the  War  of  Independence. 

Soon  he  was  called  to  a  more  public  sphere  of 
action ;  and  we  again  follow  him  in  his  romantic  ad- 
ventures as  he  travels  the  far-off  wilderness,  a  spe- 
cial messenger  to  the  French  commander  on  the 
Ohio,  and  afterwards,  when  he  led  forth  the  troops 
of  Virginia  in  the  same  direction,  or  accompanied 
the  ill-starred  Braddock  to  the  blood-stained  banks 
of  the  Monongahela.  Everywhere  we  see  the  hand 
of  God  conducting  him  into  danger,  that  he  might 
extract  from  it  the  wisdom  of  an  experience  not 
otherwise  to  be  obtained,  and  develop  those  heroic 
qualities  by  which  alone  danger  and  difficulty  can  be 


EARLY  YEARS  23 

surmounted;  but  all  the  while  covering  him  with  a 
shield. 

When  we  think  of  him,  at  midnight  and  in  mid- 
winter, thrown  from  a  frail  raft  into  the  deep  and 
angry  waters  of  a  wide  and  rushing  Western  river, 
thus  separated  from  his  only  companion  through  the 
wilderness  with  no  aid  for  miles  and  leagues  about 
him,  buffeting  the  rapid  current  and  struggling 
through  driving  cakes  of  ice;  when  we  behold  the 
stealthy  savage,  whose  aim  against  all  other  marks 
is  unerring,  pointing  his  rifle  deliberately  at  him, 
and  firing  over  and  over  again;  when  we  see  him 
riding  through  showers  of  bullets  on  Braddock's 
fatal  field,  and  reflect  that  never,  during  his  whole 
life,  was  he  ever  wounded,  or  even  touched  by  a 
hostile  force — do  we  not  feel  that  he  was  guarded 
by  an  unseen  hand,  warding  off  every  danger  ?  No 
peril  by  flood  or  field  was  permitted  to  extinguish 
a  life  consecrated  to  the  hopes  of  humanity  and  to 
the  purposes  of  Heaven. 

For  more  than  sixteen  years  he  rested  from  his 
warfare,  amid  the  shades  of  Mount  Vernon;  ripen- 
ing his  mind  by  reading  and  reflection,  increasing 
his  knowledge  of  practical  affairs,  entering  into  the 
whole  experience  of  a  citizen  at  home  and  on  his 
farm,  and  as  a  delegate  to  the  Colonial  Assembly. 
When,  at  last,  the  war  broke  out,  and  the  unanimous 
voice  of  the  Continental  Congress  invested  him,  as 
the  exigency  required,  with  almost  unbounded 
authority,  as  their  Commander-in-Chief,  he  blended, 
although  still  in  the  prime  of  his  life,  in  the  mature 
bloom  of  his  manhood,  the  attributes  of  a  sage  with 


24          WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

those  of  a  hero.  A  more  perfectly  fitted  and  fur- 
nished character  has  never  appeared  on  the  theater 
of  human  action  than  when,  reining  up  his  war- 
horse  beneath  the  majestic  and  venerable  elm,  still 
standing  at  the  entrance  of  the  Watertown  road  to 
Cambridge,  George  Washington  unsheathed  his 
sword  and  assumed  the  command  of  the  gathered 
armies  of  American  Liberty. 


WASHINGTON  AS  HE  LOOKED 
From  The  Christian  Endeavor  World 

According  to  Captain  Mercer,  the  following  de- 
scribes Washington  when  he  took  his  seat  in  the 
House  of  Burgesses  in  1759: 

He  is  as  straight  as  an  Indian,  measuring  six  feet  two 
inches  in  his  stockings,  and  weighing  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  pounds.  His  head  is  well  shaped,  though  not 
large,  and  is  gracefully  poised  on  a  superb  neck,  with  a 
large,  and  straight  rather  than  prominent  nose ;  blue-gray 
penetrating  eyes,  which  are  widely  separated  and  over- 
hung by  heavy  brows.  A  pleasing,  benevolent,  though  com- 
manding countenance,  dark-brown  hair,  features  regular 
and  placid,  with  all  the  muscles  under  control,  with  a  large 
mouth,  generally  firmly  closed. 

Houdon's  bust  accords  with  this  description. 


Ill 

THE  GENERAL 


WASHINGTON  IS  APPOINTED  COM- 
MANDER-IN-CHIEF l 

BY  SYDNEY  GEORGE  FISHER 

On  the  i6th  of  June,  the  day  before  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  the  Congress,  having  accepted  Massa- 
chusetts' gift  of  the  army  before  Boston,  gave  the 
command  of  it  to  Colonel  George  Washington,  of 
Virginia,  and  made  him  a  general  and  commander- 
in-chief  of  all  the  forces  of  the  patriot  cause. 

Hancock,  it  is  said,  had  ambitions  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  was  somewhat  disappointed  at  the  choice. 
But  the  fitness  of  Washington  for  the  office  was 
generally  admitted  as  soon  as  John  Adams  urged  his 
appointment.  He  would  conciliate  the  moderate 
patriots,  for  he  had  clung  to  the  old  arguments  as 
long  as  possible,  and  refrained  from  forcing  events. 
If  substantial  independence  of  Parliament  and  the 
Ministry  could  be  secured,  he  was  willing  to  allow 
the  King  a  vague  or  imaginary  headship  until  in  the 
course  of  years  that  excrescence  should  slough 
away. 

Many  were  inclined  to  think  that  a  New  Eng- 
land general  should  command  the  New  England 

1  From  "  The  Struggle  for  American  Independence,"  by 
Sydney  George  Fisher.  Copyright  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  & 
Co.,  Philadelphia. 

27 


28  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

army  that  was  gathered  before  Boston;  but  they 
were  obliged  to  admit  that  the  appointment  of  a 
general  from  Virginia,  the  most  populous  and  pros- 
perous of  the  colonies,  would  tend  to  draw  the 
Southern  interest  to  the  patriot  cause. 

Washington  was  forty-three  years  old,  which  was 
the  right  age  for  entering  upon  the  supreme  com- 
mand in  what  might  be  a  long  war.  He  had  distin- 
guished himself  by  helping  to  rescue  Braddock's  de- 
feated army  in  1755,  and  he  had  taken  a  more  or 
less  prominent  part  in  the  subsequent  campaigns 
which  ended  in  driving  the  French  out  of  Canada. 
This  military  education  and  experience  seemed 
slight,  and  not  equal  to  that  of  the  British  officers 
who  would  be  opposed  to  him.  But  it  was  Amer- 
ican experience,  no  colonist  was  any  better  equipped, 
and  he  was  of  a  larger  intelligence  than  Putnam, 
Ward,  and  other  Americans  who  had  served  in  the 
French  War. 

His  strong  character  and  personality  had  im- 
pressed themselves  upon  his  fellow-delegates  in  the 
Congress.  It  was  this  impressive  personality  which 
made  his  career  and  brought  to  him  grave  responsi- 
bility without  effort  on  his  part  to  seek  office  or 
position.  When  he  was  only  twenty-one  the  gov- 
ernor of  Virginia  had  sent  him  through  the  wilder- 
ness to  interview  the  French  commander  near  Lake 
Erie,  a  mission  which  required  the  hardihood  of 
the  hunter  and  some  of  the  shrewd  intelligence  of 
the  diplomat. 

But  much  to  the  surprise  of  travelers  and  visitors, 
Washington  never  appeared  to  be  a  brilliant  man. 


THE  GENERAL  29 

He  was  always  a  trifle  reserved,  and  this  habit  grew 
on  him  with  years.  His  methods  of  work  were 
homely  and  painstaking,  reminding  us  somewhat  of 
Lincoln ;  and  the  laborious  carefulness  of  his  mili- 
tary plans  seemed  to  European  critics  to  imply  a 
lack  of  genius. 

But  it  was  difficult  to  judge  him  by  European 
standards,  because  the  conditions  of  the  warfare  he 
conducted  were  totally  unlike  anything  in  Europe. 
He  never  commanded  a  real  army  with  well-organ- 
ized departments  and  good  equipment.  His  troops 
were  usually  barefooted,  half-starved,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  incapable  of  performing  the  simplest 
parade  manoeuvre.  Brilliant  movements,  except  on 
a  small  scale,  as  at  Princeton,  were  rarely  within  his 
reach;  and  large  complicated  movements  were  im- 
possible because  he  had  not  the  equipment  of  officers 
and  organization  for  handling  large  bodies  of  men 
spread  out  over  a  great  extent  of  country.  He  was 
obliged  to  adopt  the  principle  of  concentration  and 
avoid  making  detachments  or  isolated  movements 
that  could  be  cut  off  by  the  British.  To  some  of  his 
contemporaries  it  therefore  seemed  that  his  most 
striking  ability  lay  in  conciliating  local  habits  and 
prejudices,  harmonizing  discordant  opinions,  and 
holding  together  an  army  which  seemed  to  the  Brit- 
ish always  on  the  eve  of  disbanding. 

He  reasoned  out,  however,  in  his  own  way,  the 
peculiar  needs  of  every  military  position,  and  how 
he  did  this  will  appear  more  clearly  as  our  nar- 
rative progresses.  He  often  spoke  of  his  own  lack 
of  military  experience,  as  well  as  of  the  lack  of  it 


30  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

in  the  officers  about  him;  and  this  seems  to  have 
led  him  to  study  every  situation  like  a  beginner, 
with  exhaustive  care,  consulting  with  everybody, 
calling  councils  of  war  on  every  possible  occasion, 
and  reasoning  out  his  plans  with  minute  carefulness. 
This  method,  which  his  best  friends  sometimes  ridi- 
culed, was  in  striking  contrast  to  the  method  of  one 
of  his  own  officers,  General  Greene,  and  also  to  the 
method  of  Grant  in  the  Civil  War.  Both  Greene 
and  Grant  dispensed  altogether  with  laborious  con- 
sultations and  councils  of  war. 

But  the  laborious  method  was  well  suited  to 
Washington,  whose  mind  was  never  satisfied  unless 
it  could  strike  a  balance  among  a  great  mass  of 
arguments  and  details  which  must  be  obtained  from 
others,  and  not  through  his  own  imagination.  He 
liked  to  reserve  his  decision  until  the  last  moment, 
and  this  trait  was  sometimes  mistaken  for  weak- 
ness. His  preparedness  and  devotion  to  details  re- 
mind us  of  Napoleon.  His  cautious,  balancing, 
weighing  habit,  developed  by  lifelong  practice,  runs 
through  all  his  letters  and  every  act  of  his  life,  ap- 
pearing in  some  of  the  great  events  of  his  career  as 
a  superb  and  masterful  equipoise.  It  became  very 
impressive  even  to  those  who  ridiculed  it;  it  could 
inspire  confidence  through  years  of  disaster  and  de- 
feat; and  it  enabled  him  to  grasp  the  general 
strategy  of  the  war  so  thoroughly  that  no  military 
critic  has  ever  detected  him  in  a  mistake. 

As  a  soldier  he  fought  against  distinguished  Brit- 
ish officers  four  pitched  battles — Long  Island,  Bran- 
dywine,  Germantown,  and  Monmouth;  in  the  first 


THE  GENERAL  31 

three  of  which  he  was  defeated,  and  the  last  was  a 
draw.  He  conducted  two  sieges — Boston  and  York- 
town — in  both  of  which  he  was  successful;  and  he 
destroyed  two  outposts — Trenton  and  Princeton — 
in  a  manner  generally  regarded  as  so  brilliant  and 
effective  that  he  saved  the  patriot  cause  from  its  first 
period  of  depression.  His  characteristics  as  a  sol- 
dier were  farseeing  judgment  and  circumspection,  a 
certain  long-headedness,  as  it  might  be  called,  and 
astonishing  ability  to  recover  from  and  ignore  a  de- 
feat. In  his  pitched  battles,  like  Long  Island  and 
Brandywine,  he  knew  that  defeat  was  probable,  and 
he  prepared  for  it.1 

He  was  compelled  to  act  so  much  on  the  defensive, 
and  the  British  methods  were  so  slow,  that  his 
activities  in  the  field  were  not  numerous  when  we 
consider  that  he  was  in  command  for  seven  years. 
The  greater  part  of  his  time  and  energy  was  em- 
ployed in  building  up  the  cause  by  mild,  balanced, 
but  wonderfully  effective  arguments;  reconciling 
animosities  by  tactful  precautions;  and  by  the  con- 
fidence his  personality  inspired  preventing  the  army 
from  disbanding.  A  large  part  of  this  labor  was  put 
forth  in  writing  letters  of  wonderful  beauty  and 
perfection  in  the  literary  art,  when  we  consider  the 
end  they  were  to  accomplish.  Complete  editions  of 
his  writings  of  this  sort  usually  fill  a  dozen  or  more 

limiting  by  his  foresight  the  extent  of  his  loss,  guarding 
by  his  disposition  security  of  retreat,  and  repairing  with 
celerity  the  injury  sustained,  his  relative  condition  was 
often  ameliorated,  although  victory  adorned  the  brow  of 
his  adversary. — LEE,  Memoirs,  Vol.  I,  p.  237. 


32  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

large  volumes;  and  there  have  been  few  if  any  great 
generals  of  the  world  who  have  accomplished  so 
much  by  writing,  or  who  have  been  such  consum- 
mate masters  of  language. 

Sufficient  care  has  not  always  been  taken  to  dis- 
tinguish between  the  different  periods  of  his  life. 
He  aged  rapidly  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution ;  his 
reserved  manner  and  a  certain  "  asperity  of  tem- 
per," as  Hamilton  called  it,  greatly  increased;  and 
some  years  afterwards,  when  President,  he  had  be- 
come a  very  silent  and  stiffly  formal  man,  far  dif- 
ferent from  the  young  soldier  who,  in  the  prime  of 
life,  drew  his  sword  beneath  the  old  elm  at  Cam- 
bridge to  take  command  of  the  patriot  army. 

The  Virginians  of  his  time  appear  to  have  had  oc- 
cupations and  social  intercourse  which  educated 
them  in  a  way  we  are  unable  to  imitate.  Washing- 
ton in  his  prime  was  a  social  and  convivial  man,  fond 
of  cards,  fine  horses,  and  fox-hunting.  Although 
not  usually  credited  with  book  learning,  his  letters 
and  conduct  in  the  Revolution  show  that  he  was 
quite  familiar  with  the  politics  of  foreign  countries 
and  the  general  information  of  his  time.  We  have 
not  yet  learned  to  appreciate  the  full  force  of  his 
intellect  and  culture. 


THE  GENERAL  33 

WASHINGTON  AT  TRENTON1 
The  Battle  Monument,  October  /p,  1893 

BY  RICHARD  WATSON  GILDER 

Since  ancient  Time  began 
Ever  on  some  great  soul  God  laid  an  infinite 

burden — 

The  weight  of  all  this  world,  the  hopes  of  man. 
Conflict  and  pain,  and   fame  immortal  are  his 
guerdon ! 

And  this  the  unfaltering  token 

Of   him,   the   Deliverer — what   though   tempests 

beat, 
Though  all  else  fail,  though  bravest  ranks  be  broken, 

He  stands  unscared,  alone,  nor  ever  knows  defeat. 

Such  was  that  man  of  men ; 

And  if  are  praised  all  virtues,  every  fame 
Most  noble,  highest,  purest — then,  ah !  then, 

Upleaps  in  every  heart  the  name  none  needs  to 
name. 

Ye  who  defeated,  'whelmed, 

Betray  the  sacred  cause,  let  go  the  trust; 
Sleep,  weary,  while  the  vessel  drifts  unhelmed; 

Here  see  in  triumph  rise  the  hero  from  the  dust ! 

1  By  permission  of  the  publishers,  Houghton,  Miffiin  & 
Co.  ' 


34  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

All  ye  who  fight  forlorn 

'Gainst  fate  and  failure ;  ye  who  proudly  cope 
With  evil  high  enthroned ;  all  ye  who  scorn 

Life  from  Dishonor's  hand,  here  take  new  heart 
of  hope. 

Here  know  how  Victory  borrows 

For  the  brave  soul  a  front  as  of  disaster, 

And  in  the  bannered  East  what  glorious  morrows 
For  all  the  blackness  of  the  night  speed  surer, 
faster. 

Know  by  this  pillared  sign 

For  what  brief  while  the  powers  of  earth  and  hell 
Can  war  against  the  spirit  of  truth  divine, 

Or  can  against  the  heroic  heart  of  man  prevail. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

From  "  Washington  and  the  Generals  of  the 
Revolution  " 

It  is  a  truth,  illustrated  in  daily  experience,  and 
yet  rarely  noted  or  acted  upon,  that,  in  all  that  con- 
cerns the  appreciation  of  personal  character  or  abil- 
ity, the  instinctive  impressions  of  a  community  are 
quicker  in  their  action,  more  profoundly  appre- 
ciant,  and  more  reliable,  than  the  intellectual  per- 
ceptions of  the  ablest  men  in  the  community.  Upon 
all  those  subjects  that  are  of  moral  apprehension, 
society  seems  to  possess  an  intelligence  of  its  own, 


THE  GENERAL  35 

infinitely  sensitive  in  its  delicacy,  and  almost  con- 
clusive in  the  certainty  of  its  determinations;  in- 
direct, and  unconscious  in  its  operation,  yet  un- 
shunnable  in  sagacity,  and  as  strong  and  confident  as 
nature  itself.  The  highest  and  finest  qualities  of 
human  judgment  seem  to  be  in  commission  among 
the  nation,  or  the  race.  It  is  by  such  a  process,  that 
whenever  a  true  hero  appears  among  mankind,  the 
recognition  of  his  character,  by  the  general  sense 
of  humanity,  is  instant  and  certain :  the  belief  of  the 
chief  priests  an^  -rulers  of  mind,  follows  later,  or 
comes  not  at  all.  "^w*  perceptions  of  a  public  are 
as  subtly-sighted,  as  its  passions  are  blind.  It  sees, 
and  feels,  and  knows  the  excellence,  which  it  can 
neither  understand,  nor  explain,  nor  vindicate. 
These  involuntary  opinions  of  people  at  large  ex- 
plain themselves,  and  are  vindicated  by  events,  and 
form  at  last  the  constants  of  human  understanding. 
A  character  of  the  first  order  of  greatness,  such  as 
seems  to  pass  out  of  the  limits  and  course  of 
ordinary  life,  often  lies  above  the  ken  of  intellectual 
judgment;  but  its  merits  and  its  infirmities  never 
escape  the  sleepless  perspicacity  of  the  common  sen- 
timent, which  no  novelty  of  form  can  surprise,  and 
no  mixture  of  qualities  can  perplex.  The  mind — 
the  logical  faculty — comprehends  a  subject,  when  it 
can  trace  in  it  the  same  elements,  or  relations,  which 
it  is  familiar  with  elsewhere:  if  it  finds  but  a  faint 
analogy  of  form  or  substance,  its  decision  is  em- 
barrassed. But  this  other  instinct  seems  to  become 
subtler,  and  more  rapid,  and  more  absolute  in  con- 
viction, at  the  line  where  reason  begins  to  falter. 


36  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Take  the  case  of  Shakespeare.  His  surpassing 
greatness  was  never  acknowledged  by  the  learned 
until  the  nation  had  ascertained  and  settled  it  as  a 
foregone  and  questionless  conclusion.  Even  now, 
to  the  most  sagacious  mind  of  this  time,  the  real 
ground  and  evidence  of  its  own  assurance  of 
Shakespeare's  supremacy,  is  the  universal,  deep,  im- 
movable conviction  of  it  in  the  public  feeling.  There 
have  been  many  acute  essays  upon  his  minor  char- 
acteristics ;  but  intellectual  criticism  has  never  grap- 
pled with  Shakespearian  art,  in  its  entireness  and 
grandeur,  and  probably  it  never  will.  We  know  not 
now  wherein  his  greatness  consists.  We  cannot 
demonstrate  it.  There  is  less  indistinctness  in  the 
merit  of  less  eminent  authors.  Those  things  which 
are  not  doubts  to  our  consciousness,  are  yet  mys- 
teries to  our  mind.  And  if  this  is  true  of  literary 
art,  which  is  so  much  within  the  sphere  of  reflection, 
it  may  be  expected  to  find  more  striking  illustration 
in  great  practical  and  public  moral  characters. 

These  considerations  occur  naturally  to  the  mind 
in  contemplating  the  fame  of  Washington.  An  at- 
tentive examination  of  the  whole  subject,  and  of  all 
that  can  contribute  to  the  formation  of  a  sound 
opinion,  results  in  the  belief  that  General  Wash- 
ington's mental  abilities  illustrate  the  very  highest 
type  of  greatness.  His  mind,  probably,  was  one  of 
the  very  greatest  that  was  ever  given  to  mortality. 
Yet  it  is  impossible  to  establish  that  position  by  a 
direct  analysis  of  his  character,  or  conduct,  or  pro- 
ductions. When  we  look  at  the  incidents  or  the  re- 
sults of  that  great  career — when  we  contemplate  the 


THE  GENERAL  37 

qualities  by  which  it  is  marked  from  its  beginning 
to  its  end — the  foresight  which  never  was  surprised, 
the  judgment  which  nothing  could  deceive,  the  wis- 
dom whose  resources  were  incapable  of  exhaustion 
—combined  with  a  spirit  as  resolute  in  its  official 
duties  as  it  was  moderate  in  its  private  pretensions, 
as  indomitable  in  its  public  temper  as  it  was  gentle 
in  its  personal  tone — we  are  left  in  wonder  and  rev- 
erence. But  when  we  would  enter  into  the  recesses 
of  that  mind — when  we  would  discriminate  upon  its 
construction,  and  reason  upon  its  operations — when 
we  would  tell  how  it  was  composed,  and  why  it  ex- 
celled— we  are  entirely  at  fault.  The  processes  of 
Washington's  understanding  are  entirely  hidden 
from  us.  What  came  from  it,  in  counsel  or  in  ac- 
tion, was  the  life  and  glory  of  his  country;  what 
went  on  within  it,  is  shrouded  in  impenetrable  con- 
cealment. Such  elevation  in  degree,  of  wisdom, 
amounts  almost  to  a  change  of  kind,  in  nature,  and 
detaches  his  intelligence  from  the  sympathy  of  ours. 
We  cannot  see  him  as  he  was,  because  we  are  not 
like  him.  The  tones  of  the  mighty  bell  were  heard 
with  the  certainty  of  Time  itself,  and  with  a  force 
that  vibrates  still  upon  the  air  of  life,  and  will 
vibrate  forever.  But  the  clock-work,  by  which  they 
were  regulated  and  given  forth,  we  can  neither  see 
nor  understand.  In  fact,  his  intellectual  abilities  did 
not  exist  in  an  analytical  and  separated  form ;  but  in 
a  combined  and  concrete  state.  They  "  moved  alto- 
gether when  they  moved  at  all."  They  were  in  no 
degree  speculative,  but  only  practical.  They  could 
not  act  at  all  in  the  region  of  imagination,  but  only 


38  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

upon  the  field  of  reality.  The  sympathies  of  his 
intelligence  dwelt  exclusively  in  the  national  being 
and  action.  Its  interests  and  energies  were  ab- 
sorbed in  them.  He  was  nothing  out  of  that  sphere, 
because  he  was  everything  there.  The  extent  to 
which  he  was  identified  with  the  country  is  unex- 
ampled in  the  relations  of  individual  men  to  the 
community.  During  the  whole  period  of  his  life  he 
was  the  thinking  part  of  the  nation.  He  was  its 
mind;  it  was  his  image  and  illustration.  If  we 
would  classify  and  measure  him,  it  must  be  with  na- 
tions, and  not  with  individuals. 

This  extraordinary  nature  of  Washington's 
capacities — this  impossibility  of  analyzing  and  un- 
derstanding the  elements  and  methods  of  his  wis- 
dom— have  led  some  persons  to  doubt  whether,  in- 
tellectually, he  was  of  great  superiority;  but  the 
public — the  community — never  doubted  of  the 
transcendant  eminence  of  Washington's  abilities. 
From  the  first  moment  of  his  appearance  as  the 
chief,  the  recognition  of  him,  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other,  as  THE  MAN — the  leader,  the 
counselor,  the  infallible  in  suggestion  and  in  con- 
duct— was  immediate  and  universal.  From  that 
moment  to  the  close  of  the  scene,  the  national  con- 
fidence in  his  capacity  was  as  spontaneous,  as  en- 
thusiastic, as  immovable,  as  it  was  in  his  integrity. 
Particular  persons,  affected  by  the  untoward  course 
of  events,  sometimes  questioned  his  sufficiency ;  but 
the  nation  never  questioned  it,  nor  would  allow  it  to 
be  questioned.  Neither  misfortune,  nor  disappoint- 
ment, nor  accidents,  nor  delay,  nor  the  protracted 


THE  GENERAL  39 

gloom  of  years,  could  avail  to  disturb  the  public  trust 
in  him.  It  was  apart  from  circumstances;  it  was 
beside  the  action  of  caprice;  it  was  beyond  all 
visionary,  and  above  all  changeable  feelings.  It  was 
founded  on  nothing  extraneous ;  not  upon  what  he 
had  said  or  done,  but  upon  what  he  was.  They 
saw  something  in  the  man,  which  gave  them  assur- 
ance of  a  nature  and  destiny  of  the  highest  elevation 
— something  inexplicable,  but  which  inspired  a  com- 
plete satisfaction.  We  feel  that  this  reliance  was 
wise  and  right;  but  why  it  was  felt,  or  why  it  was 
right,  we  are  as  much  to  seek  as  those  who  came  un- 
der the  direct  impression  of  his  personal  presence. 
It  is  not  surprising,  that  the  world  recognizing  in 
this  man  a  nature  and  a  greatness  which  philosophy 
cannot  explain,  should  revere  him  almost  to  religion. 
The  distance  and  magnitude  of  those  objects 
which  are  too  far  above  us  to  be  estimated  directly 
— such  as  stars — are  determined  by  their  parallax. 
By  some  process  of  that  kind  we  may  form  an  ap- 
proximate notion  of  Washington's  greatness.  We 
may  measure  him  against  the  great  events  in  which 
he  moved ;  and  against  the  great  men,  among  whom, 
and  above  whom,  his  figure  stood  like  a  tower.  It 
is  agreed  that  the  War  of  American  Independence  is 
one  of  the  most  exalted,  and  honorable,  and  difficult 
achievements  related  in  history.  Its  force  was  con- 
tributed by  many;  but  its  grandeur  was  derived 
from  Washington.  His  character  and  wisdom  gave 
unity,  and  dignity,  and  effect  to  the  irregular,  and 
often  divergent  enthusiasm  of  others.  His  energy 
combined  the  parts;  his  intelligence  guided  the 


40  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

whole:  his  perseverance,  and  fortitude,  and  resolu- 
tion, were  the  inspiration  and  support  of  all.  In 
looking  back  over  that  period,  his  presence  seems  to 
fill  the  whole  scene;  his  influence  predominates 
throughout;  his  character  is  reflected  from  every- 
thing. Perhaps  nothing  less  than  his  immense 
weight  of  mind  could  have  kept  the  national  sys- 
tem, at  home,  in  that  position  which  it  held,  im- 
movably, for  seven  years;  perhaps  nothing  but  the 
august  respectability  which  his  demeanor  threw 
around  the  American  cause  abroad,  would  have  in- 
duced a  foreign  nation  to  enter  into  an  equal  al- 
liance with  us  upon  terms  that  contributed  in  a 
most  important  degree  to  our  final  success,  or 
would  have  caused  Great  Britain  to  feel  that  no 
great  indignity  was  suffered  in  admitting  the  claim 
to  national  existence  of  a  people  who  had  such  a 
representative  as  Washington.  What  but  the  most 
eminent  qualities  of  mind  and  feeling — discretion 
superhuman — readiness  of  invention,  and  dexterity 
of  means,  equal  to  the  most  desperate  affairs — en- 
durance, self-control,  regulated  ardor,  restrained 
passion,  caution  mingled  with  boldness,  and  all  the 
contrarieties  of  moral  excellence — could  have  ex- 
panded the  life  of  an  individual  into  a  career  such 
as  this  ? 

If  we  £ompare  .-hurLwiih-the  gf=eat-men  who  were 
his  contemporaries  throughout  the  nation ;  in  an  age 
of  extraordinary  personages,  Washington  was  un- 
questionably the  first  man  of  the  time  in  ability. 
Review  the  correspondence  of  General  Washing- 
ton— that  sublime  monument  of  intelligence  and  in- 


THE  GENERAL  41 

tegrity — scrutinize  the  public  history  and  the  public 
men  of  that  era,  and  you  will  find  that  in  all  the 
wisdom  that  was  accomplished  or  was  attempted, 
Washington  was  before  every  man  in  his  sug- 
gestions of  the  plan,  and  beyond  every  one  in  the 
extent  to  which  he  contributed  to  its  adoption.  In 
the  field,  all  the  able  generals  acknowledged  his  su- 
periority, and  looked  up  to  him  with  loyalty,  reli- 
ance, and  reverence;  the  others,  who  doubted  his 
ability,  or  conspired  against  his  sovereignty,  il- 
lustrated, in  their  own  conduct,  their  incapacity  to 
be  either  his  judges  or  his  rivals.  In  the  state, 
Adams,  Jay,  Rutledge,  Pinckney,  Morris — these  are 
great  names;  but  there  is  not  one  whose  wisdom 
does  not  vail  to  his.  His  superiority  was  felt  by  all 
these  persons,  and  was  felt  by  Washington  himself, 
as  a  simple  matter  of  fact,  as  little  a  subject  of  ques- 
tion, or  a  cause  of  vanity,  as  the  eminence  of  his  per- 
sonal stature.  His  appointment  as  commander-in- 
chief  was  the  result  of  no  design  on  his  part;  and  of 
no  efforts  on  the  part  of  his  friends;  it  seemed  to 
take  place  spontaneously.  He  moved  into  the  posi- 
tion, because  there  was  a  vacuum  which  no  other 
could  supply :  in  it,  he  was  not  sustained  by  govern- 
ment, by  a  party,  or  by  connections;  he  sustained 
himself;  and  then  he  sustained  everything  else.  He 
sustained  Congress  against  the  army,  and  the  army 
against  the  injustice  of  Congress.  The  brightest 
mind  among  his  contemporaries  was  Hamilton's;  a 
character  which  cannot  be  contemplated  without  fre- 
quent admiration,  and  constant  affection.  His  tal- 
ents took  the  form  of  genius,  which  Washington's 


42  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

did  not.  But  active,  various,  and  brilliant,  as  the 
faculties  of  Hamilton  were,  whether  viewed  in  the 
precocity  of  youth,  or  in  the  all-accomplished  ele- 
gance of  maturer  life — lightning-quick  as  his  in- 
telligence was  to  see  through  every  subject  that 
came  before  it,  and  vigorous  as  it  was  in  construct- 
ing the  argumentation  by  which  other  minds  were 
to  be  led,  as  upon  a  shapely  bridge,  over  the  ob- 
scure depths  across  which  his  had  flashed  in  a  mo- 
ment— fertile  and  sound  in  schemes,  ready  in  ac- 
tion, splendid  in  display,  as  he  was — nothing  is  more 
obvious  and  certain  than  that  when  Mr.  Hamilton 
approached  Washington,  he  came  into  the  presence 
of  one  who  surpassed  him  in  the  extent,  in  the  com- 
prehension, the  elevation,  the  sagacity,  the  force, 
and  the  ponderousness  of  his  mind,  as  much  as  he 
did  in  the  majesty  of  his  aspect  and  the  grandeur  of 
his  step.  The  genius  of  Hamilton  was  a  flower, 
which  gratifies,  surprises,  and  enchants;  the  in- 
telligence of  Washington  was  a  stately  tree,  which 
in  the  rarity  and  true  dignity  of  its  beauty  is  as 
superior  as  it  is  in  its  dimensions. 


VALLEY  FORGE 

BY   HENRY   ARMITT   BROWN 

From  Centennial  Address  delivered  at  Valley  Forge, 
June  19,  1878 

The  century  that  has  gone  by  has  changed  the 
face  of  Nature,  and  wrought  a  revolution  in  the 


THE  GENERAL  43 

habits  of  mankind.  We  to-day  behold  the  dawn  of 
an  extraordinary  age.  Man  has  advanced  with  such 
astounding  speed,  that,  breathless,  we  have  reached 
a  moment  when  it  seems  as  if  distance  had  been  an- 
nihilated, time  made  as  nought,  the  invisible  seen, 
the  intangible  felt,  and  the  impossible  accomplished. 
Already  we  knock  at  the  door  of  a  new  century, 
which  promises  to  be  infinitely  brighter  and  more 
enlightened  and  happier  than  this. 

We  know  that  we  are  more  fortunate  than  our 
fathers.  We  believe  that  our  children  shall  be  hap- 
pier than  we.  We  know  that  this  century  is  more 
enlightened  than  the  past.  We  believe  that  the  time 
to  come  will  be  better  and  more  glorious  than  this. 
We  think,  we  believe,  we  hope,  but  we  do  not  know. 
Across  that  threshold  we  may  not  pass ;  behind  that 
veil  we  may  not  penetrate.  It  may  be  vouchsafed 
us  to  behold  it,  wonderingly,  from  afar,  but  never  to 
enter  in.  It  matters  not.  The  age  in  which  we  live 
is  but  a  link  in  the  endless  and  eternal  chain.  Our 
lives  are  like  sands  upon  the  shore ;  our  voices,  like 
the  breath  of  this  summer  breeze  that  stirs  the  leaf 
for  a  moment,  and  is  forgotten.  The  last  survivor 
of  this  mighty  multitude  shall  stay  but  a  little  while. 
The  endless  generations  are  advancing  to  take  our 
places  as  we  fall.  For  them,  as  for  us,  shall  the 
years  march  by  in  the  sublime  procession  of  the 
ages. 

And  here,  in  this  place  of  sacrifice,  in  this  vale  of 
humiliation,  in  this  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death, 
out  of  which  the  life  of  America  rose  regenerate  and 
free,  let  us  believe,  with  an  abiding  faith,  that  to 


44  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

them  union  will  seem  as  dear,  and  liberty  as  sweet, 
and  progress  as  glorious,  as  they  were  to  our 
fathers  and  are  to  you  and  me,  and  that  the  institu- 
tions which  have  made  us  happy,  preserved  by  the 
virtue  of  our  children,  shall  bless  the  remotest  gen- 
eration of  the  time  to  come.  And  unto  Him  who 
holds  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand  the  fate  of  na- 
tions, and  yet  marks  the  sparrow's  fall,  let  us  lift  up 
our  hearts  this  day,  and  unto  His  eternal  care  com- 
mend ourselves,  our  children,  and  our  country. 


WASHINGTON  AT  VALLEY  FORGE 

BY  CANON  R.  G.  SUTHERLAND 

With  his  lean,  ragged  levies,  undismayed, 
He  crouched  among  the  vigilant  hills;  a  show 
To  the  disdainful,  heaven-blinded  foe. 

Unlauded,  unsupported,  disobeyed, 

Thwarted,  maligned,  conspired  against,  betrayed — 
Yet  nothing  could  unheart  him.     Wouldst  thou 

know 
His  secret?    There,  in  that  thicket  on  the  snow, 

Washington  knelt  before  his  God,  and  prayed. 

Close  in  their  lair  for  perilous  months  and  days 
He  held  in  leash  his  wolves,  grim,  shelterless, 

Gaunt,  hunger-bitten,  stanch  to  the  uttermost; 
Then,  when  the  hour  was  come  for  hardiness 

Rallied,  and  rushed  them  on  the  reeling  host; 
And  Monmouth  planted  Yorktown's  happy  bays ! 


THE  GENERAL  45 

A  FRENCHMAN'S   ESTIMATE   OF   WASH- 
INGTON IN  1781 

BY  CLAUDE  C.  ROBIN 

From  Magazine  of  American  History. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by 
'Abbe  Robin,  chaplain  in  the  French  army  in  Amer- 
ica, and  bearing  date  "  Camp  of  Phillipsburg,  August 
4,  1781,"  a  few  weeks  after  his  arrival  in  this  coun- 
try, is  very  suggestive.  This  letter  was  the  first  of 
a  series  of  thirteen  letters  from  the  Abbe  while  in 
America,  which  were  published  in  Paris  in  1782. 
He  writes: 

I  have  seen  General  Washington,  that  most 
singular  man — the  soul  and  support  of  one  of  the 
greatest  revolutions  that  has  ever  happened,  or  can 
happen.  I  fixed  my  eyes  upon  him  with  that  keen 
attention  which  the  sight  of  a  great  man  always  in- 
spires. We  naturally  entertain  a  secret  hope  of  dis- 
covering in  the  features  of  such  illustrious  persons 
some  traces  of  that  genius  which  distinguishes  them 
from,  and  elevates  them  above,  their  fellow  mortals. 

Perhaps  the  exterior  of  no  man  was  better  cal- 
culated to  gratify  these  expectations  than  that  of 
General  Washington.  He  is  of  a  tall  and  noble 
stature,  well  proportioned,  a  fine,  cheerful,  open 
countenance,  a  simple  and  modest  carriage;  and  his 
whole  mien  has  something  in  it  that  interests  the 
French,  the  Americans,  and  even  enemies  them- 


46  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

selves,  in  his  favor.  Placed  in  a  military  view,  at 
the  head  of  a  nation  where  each  individual  has  a 
share  in  the  supreme  legislative  authority,  and  where 
coercive  laws  are  yet  in  a  degree  destitute  of  vigor, 
where  the  climate  and  manners  can  add  but  little  to 
their  energy,  where  the  spirit  of  party,  private  in- 
terest, slowness  and  national  indolence,  slacken,  sus- 
pend, and  overthrow  the  best  concerted  measures; 
although  so  situated  he  has  found  out  a  method  of 
keeping  his  troops  in  the  most  absolute  subordina- 
tion; making  them  rivals  in  praising  him;  fearing 
him  when  he  is  silent,  and  retaining  their  full  con- 
fidence in  him  after  defeats  and  disgrace.  His 
reputation  has,  at  length,  arisen  to  a  most  brilliant 
height;  and  he  may  now  grasp  at  the  most  un- 
bounded power,  without  provoking  envy  or  exciting 
suspicion.  He  has  ever  shown  himself  superior  to 
fortune,  and  in  the  most  trying  adversity  has  dis- 
covered resources  until  then  unknown :  and,  as  if  his 
abilities  only  increased  and  dilated  at  the  prospect  of 
difficulty,  he  is  never  better  supplied  than  when  he 
seems  destitute  of  everything,  nor  have  his  arms 
ever  been  so  fatal  to  his  enemies,  as  at  the  very  in- 
stant when  they  thought  they  had  crushed  him  for- 
ever. It  is  his  to  excite  a  spirit  of  heroism  and 
enthusiasm  in  a  people  who  are  by  nature  very  little 
susceptible  of  it;  to  gain  over  the  respect  and 
homage  of  those  whose  interest  it  is  to  refuse  it, 
and  to  execute  his  plans  and  projects  by  means  un- 
known even  to  those  who  are  his  instruments ;  he  is 
intrepid  in  dangers,  yet  never  seeks  them  but  when 
the  good  of  his  country  demands  it,  preferring 


THE  GENERAL  47 

rather  to  temporize  and  act  upon  the  defensive,  be- 
cause he  knows  such  a  mode  of  conduct  best  suits 
the  genius  and  circumstances  of  the  nation,  and  all 
that  he  and  they  have  to  expect,  depends  upon  time, 
fortitude,  and  patience;  he  is  frugal  and  sober  in 
regard  to  himself,  but  profuse  in  the  public  cause; 
like  Peter  the  Great,  he  has  by  defeats  conducted 
his  army  to  victory ;  and  like  Fabius,  but  with  fewer 
resources  and  more  difficulty,  he  has  conquered  with- 
out fighting,  and  saved  his  country. 

Such  are  the  ideas  that  arise  in  the  mind  at  the 
sight  of  this  great  man,  in  examining  the  events  in 
which  he  had  a  share,  or  in  listening  to  those  whose 
duty  obliges  them  to  be  near  his  person,  and  conse- 
quently best  display  his  character.  In  all  these  ex- 
tensive States  they  consider  him  in  the  light  of  a 
beneficent  god,  dispensing  peace  and  happiness 
around  him.  Old  men,  women,  and  children  press 
about  him  when  he  accidentally  passes  along,  and 
think  themselves  happy,  once  in  their  lives,  to  have 
seen  him — they  follow  him  through  the  towns  with 
torches,  and  celebrate  his  arrival  by  public  illumina- 
tions. The  Americans,  that  cool  and  sedate  people, 
who  in  the  midst  of  their  most  trying  difficulties, 
have  attended  only  to  the  directions  and  impulses 
of  plain  method  and  common  sense,  are  roused,  ani- 
mated, and  inflamed  at  the  very  mention  of  his 
name :  and  the  first  songs  that  sentiment  or  gratitude 
has  dictated,  have  been  to  celebrate  General  Wash- 
ington. 


iv; 

THE  PRESIDENT 


WASHINGTON  AND  THE  CONSTITUTION 

BY  JOHN  M.  HARLAN 

It  is  the  concurring  judgment  of  political  thinkers, 
that  no  event  in  all  the  history  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race  has  been  more  far-reaching  in  its  consequences 
than  the  organization  of  the  present  Government  of 
the  United  States.  And  it  is  in  every  sense  ap- 
propriate to  connect  the  name  of  Washington  with 
the  Constitution  which  brought  that  government  into 
existence.  It  is  appropriate  because  his  splendid 
leadership  of  the  Revolutionary  armies  made  it  pos- 
sible to  establish  upon  this  continent  a  government 
resting  upon  the  consent  of  the  governed,  yet  strong 
enough  to  maintain  its  existence  and  authority  when- 
ever assailed. 

But  it  is  especially  appropriate  for  the  reason  that 
he  was  among  the  first  of  the  great  men  of  the 
Revolutionary  period  to  discern  the  inherent  defects 
in  the  articles  of  confederation ;  and  but  for  his  ef- 
forts to  bring  about  a  more  perfect  union  of  the 
people,  the  existing  Constitution,  it  is  believed, 
would  not  have  been  accepted  by  the  requisite  num- 
ber of  States.  He  was  indeed  the  pioneer  of  the 
Union  established  by  that  Constitution.  Of  the  ac- 
curacy of  these  statements  there  is  abundant 
evidence. 


52  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

We  are  only  in  the  spring-time  of  our  national 
life,  and  yet  we  have  realized  all  that  Washington 
could  possibly  have  anticipated  from  the  creation  of 
the  present  Government.  What  more  could  be  de- 
sired in  a  system  of  government  than  is  secured  in 
the  existing  organizations  of  the  General  and  State 
governments  with  their  respective  powers  so  ad- 
mirably adjusted  and  distributed  as  to  draw  from 
Gladstone  the  remark  that  the  American  Constitu- 
tion was  "  the  most  wonderful  work  ever  struck  off 
at  one  time  by  the  brain  and  purpose  of  man  "  ? 

Despite  the  fears  of  many  patriotic  statesmen  at 
the  time  of  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  that 
that  instrument  would  destroy  the  liberties  of  the 
people,  every  genuine  American  rejoices  in  the  full- 
ness of  a  grateful  heart  that  we  have  a  government 
under  which  the  humblest  person  in  our  midst  has 
a  feeling  of  safety  and  repose  not  vouchsafed  to  the 
citizen  or  subject  of  any  other  country;  with  powers 
ample  for  the  protection  of  the  life  of  the  nation  and 
adequate  for  all  purposes  of  a  general  nature,  yet  so 
restricted  by  the  law  of  its  creation  in  the  exercise  of 
its  powers,  that  it  cannot  rightfully  encroach  upon 
those  reserved  to  the  States  or  to  the  people. 

I  will  not  allude  to  or  discuss  particular  theories 
of  constitutional  construction,  but  I  may  say,  and  I 
am  glad  that  it  can  be  truthfully  said,  that  the  mass 
of  the  people  concur  in  holding  that  only  by  main- 
taining the  just  powers  of  both  the  National  and 
State  governments  can  we  preserve  in  their  integrity 
the  fundamental  principles  of  American  liberty. 


THE  PRESIDENT  53 

WASHINGTON'S  ADMINISTRATION  1— 
1789-1797 

BY   EDWARD   S.   ELLIS 

WASHINGTON'S  PATRIOTISM. — Washington  would 
have  preferred  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  life 
in  his  tranquil  home  at  Mount  Vernon,  but  his  patri- 
otism would  not  allow  him  to  disregard  the  call  of 
his  country.  He  had  so  little  money  at  the  time, 
that  his  home  was  threatened  by  the  sheriff,  and  he 
had  to  borrow  funds  with  which  to  pay  his  most 
pressing  debts. 

WASHINGTON'S  INAUGURATION. — The  President- 
elect left  Mount  Vernon  on  April  16,  and  the  entire 
journey  to  New  York  was  a  continual  ovation.  He 
received  honors  at  almost  every  step  of  the  way,  and 
was  welcomed  to  the  nation's  capital  by  the  joyous 
thousands  who  felt  that  no  reward  could  be  too  great 
for  the  illustrious  patriot  that  had  enshrined  him- 
self forever  in  the  hearts  of  his  loving  countrymen. 
The  inauguration  ceremonies  took  place  April  30,  in 
Federal  Hall,  on  the  present  site  of  the  sub-treas- 
ury building.  Chancellor  Robert  R.  Livingston  of 
New  York  administered  the  oath,  in  a  balcony  of 
the  Senate  chamber,  in  full  view  of  the  vast  con- 
course on  the  outside,  who  cheered  the  great  man 
to  the  echo.  Other  ceremonies  followed,  Washing- 
ton showing  deep  emotion  at  the  manifestation  of 
love  and  loyalty  on  the  part  of  all. 

^rom  "Young  People's  History  of  Our  Country." 
Thomas  R.  Shewell  &  Co.,  1900. 


54  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

THE  FIRST  CONSTITUTIONAL  CONGRESS. — The 
first  session  of  the  first  Constitutional  Congress  was 
chiefly  occupied  in  setting  the  government  machin- 
ery in  motion.  The  following  nominations  for  the 
first  Cabinet  were  made  by  Washington,  and  con- 
firmed by  the  Senate:  Thomas  Jefferson,  secretary 
of  foreign  affairs,  afterward  known  as  secretary  of 
state;  Alexander  Hamilton,  secretary  of  the  treas- 
ury; Henry  Knox,  secretary  of  war;  and  Edmund 
Randolph,  attorney-general.  John  Jay  was  ap- 
pointed chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court,  with 
John  Rutledge,  James  Wilson,  William  Cushing, 
Robert  H.  Harrison,  and  John  Blair  associates. 
(The  Senate  refused  to  confirm  the  nomination  of 
Rutledge.) 

FEDERALISTS  AND  REPUBLICANS. — The  most 
urgent  question  was  that  of  finance.  Hamilton 
handled  it  with  great  skill.  The  debt  of  the  con- 
federation and  States  was  almost  eighty  million  dol- 
lars. Hamilton's  plan,  as  submitted  to  Congress, 
called  for  the  payment  by  the  United  States  of  every 
dollar  due  to  American  citizens,  and  also  the  war 
debt  of  the  country.  There  was  strong  opposition 
to  the  scheme,  but  it  prevailed.  The  discussions  in 
Congress  brought  out  the  lines  between  the  Federal- 
ists and  the  Republicans,  or,  as  they  were  after- 
ward called,  Democrats.  The  Federalists  favored 
the  enlargement  of  the  powers  of  the  general  gov- 
ernment, while  the  Republicans  insisted  upon  hold- 
ing the  government  to  the  exact  letter  of  the  Con- 
stitution, and  giving  to  the  individual  States  all 
rights  not  expressly  prohibited  by  the  Constitution. 


THE  PRESIDENT  55 

THE  SEAT  OF  GOVERNMENT. — North  Carolina  did 
not  adopt  the  Constitution  until  November  13,  1789. 
Little  Rhode  Island  sulked  until  Massachusetts  and 
Connecticut  proposed  to  parcel  her  between  them, 
when  she  came  to  terms  and  adopted  the  Constitu- 
tion, May  29,  1790.  It  was  decided  to  transfer  the 
seat  of  government  to  Philadelphia  until  1800,  when 
it  was  to  be  permanently  fixed  upon  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  Potomac.  The  third  session  of  the 
first  Congress,  therefore,  was  held  in  Philadelphia, 
on  the  first  Monday  in  December,  1790.  Through 
the  efforts  of  Hamilton,  the  United  States  Bank  and 
a  national  mint  were  established  in  that  city,  and 
*4id  much  to  advance  the  prosperity  of  the  country. 

A  PROTECTIVE  TARIFF. — In  1791,  Hamilton  made 
a  memorable  report  to  Congress.  In  it  he  favored 
a  protective  tariff,  recommending  that  the  materials 
from  which  goods  are  manufactured  should  not  be 
taxed,  and  advising  that  articles  which  competed 
with  those  made  in  this  country  should  be  prohibited. 
These  and  other  important  features  were  embodied 
in  a  bill,  which  was  passed  February  9,  1792. 

TROUBLE  WITH  THE  INDIANS. — Trouble  occurred 
with  the  Indians  in  the  Northwestern  Territory  and 
in  the  South.  Georgia  was  dissatisfied  with  the 
treaty,  by  which  a  considerable  part  of  the  State 
was  .relinquished  to  the  Indians.  The  difficulty  in 
the  Northwest  was  much  more  serious.  General 
Harmar  was  sent  to  punish  the  red  men  for  their 
many  outrages,  but  was  twice  defeated.  Then  Gen- 
eral St.  Clair  took  his  place.  Before  he  set  out, 
Washington  impressively  warned  him  against  being 


56  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

surprised,  but  he,  too,  was  beaten,  and  his  army 
routed  with  great  slaughter. 

"  Mad  Anthony  "  Wayne  now  took  up  the  task, 
with  nearly  three  thousand  men,  and  completed  it 
thoroughly.  At  Fallen  Timbers,  August  20,  1794, 
he  met  the  combined  tribes  and  delivered  a  crush- 
ing defeat,  from  which  the  Indians  did  not  recover 
for  years.  One  year  later,  eleven  hundred  chiefs 
and  warriors  met  the  United  States  commissioners 
at  Fort  Greenville  and  signed  a  treaty  of  peace, 
relinquishing  at  the  same  time  a  vast  tract  of  land 
lying  in  the  present  States  of  Indiana  and  Michigan. 

THE  WHISKEY  REBELLION. — Among  the  im- 
portant laws  passed  by  Congress  was  one  imposing 
a  duty  on  distilled  spirits.  This  roused  great  op* 
position  in  western  Pennsylvania,  where  whiskey 
was  the  principal  article  of  manufacture  and  trade. 
The  revolt  there  assumed  such  formidable  propor- 
tions that  it  became  known  as  the  "  Whiskey  Re- 
bellion," and  the  President  was  compelled  to  call  out 
the  militia,  fifteen  thousand  strong,  to  suppress  it. 

WASHINGTON'S  SECOND  TERM. — Washington  did 
not  desire  a  second  term,  but  his  countrymen  would 
not  permit  him  to  decline.  He  again  received  all  the 
electoral  votes  cast,  while  the  next  highest  number 
went  to  John  Adams.  Strong  party  spirit  was 
shown,  Hamilton  being  the  leader  of  the  Federal- 
ists, and  Jefferson  the  foremost  Republican. 

"  CITIZEN  GENET." — During  Washington's  ad- 
ministrations, France  was  plunged  into  the  bloodiest 
revolution  known  in  history.  Her  representative  in 
this  country  was  Edmond  Charles  Genet  (zheh-na), 


THE  PRESIDENT  57 

better  known  as  "  Citizen  Genet."  Landing  at 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  April,  1793,  he  did 
not  wait  to  present  his  credentials  to  the  govern- 
ment, but  began  enlisting  soldiers  and  fitting  out 
privateers  for  the  French  service.  Many  thought- 
less citizens  encouraged  him,  but  the  wise  Washing- 
ton, finding  that  Genet  defied  him,  ended  the  busi- 
ness by  compelling  his  country  to  recall  him. 

JAY'S  TREATY. — There  was  much  trouble  also  with 
Great  Britain,  but  a  treaty  was  finally  arranged  with 
her  by  our  special  envoy,  John  Jay.  One  of  its 
provisions  guaranteed  payment  to  British  citizens 
of  debts  due  them  before  the  war.  This  caused 
much  opposition,  but  the  time  came  when  it  was 
admitted  that  Jay's  treaty  was  one  of  the  best  made 
by  our  government. 


WASHINGTON 

BY  MARY  WINGATE 

O  noble  brow,  so  wise  in  thought ! 
O  heart,  so  true !     O  soul  unbought ! 
O  eye,  so  keen  to  pierce  the  night 
And  guide  the  "  ship  of  state  "  aright ! 
O  life,  so  simple,  grand  and  free, 
The  humblest  still  may  turn  to  thee. 
O  king,  uncrowned!     O  prince  of  men! 
When  shall  we  see  thy  like  again? 


58  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

The  century,  just  passed  away, 

Has  felt  the  impress  of  thy  sway, 

While  youthful  hearts  have  stronger  grown 

And  made  thy  patriot  zeal  their  own. 

In  marble  hall  or  lowly  cot, 

Thy  name  hath  never  been  forgot. 

The  world  itself  is  richer,  far, 

For  the  clear  shining  of  a  star. 

And  loyal  hearts  in  years  to  run 

Shall  turn  to  thee,  O  Washington. 


On  the  fourth  of  March,  1789,  Elbridge  Gerry, 
who  had  been  chosen  to  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  wrote  thus  from  New  York  to  John  Adams : 

My  Dear  Friend :  I  find,  on  inquiry,  that  you  are 
elected  Vice-President,  having  three  or  four  times  the 
number  of  votes  of  any  other  candidate.  Maryland  threw 
away  their  votes  on  Colonel  Harrison,  and  South  Carolina 
on  Governor  Rutledge,  being,  with  some  other  states 
which  were  not  unanimous  for  you,  apprehensive  that  this 
was  a  necessary  step  to  prevent  your  election  to  the  chair. 
On  this  point  they  were  mistaken,  for  the  President,  as  I 
am  informed  from  pretty  good  authority,  has  a  unanimous 
vote.  It  is  the  universal  wish  of  all  that  I  have  conferred 
with,  and  indeed  their  expectation,  that  both  General 
Washington  and  yourself  will  accept;  and  should  either 

1  Reprinted  from  The  Independent. 


THE  PRESIDENT  59 

refuse,  it  will  have  a  very  disagreeable  effect.  The  mem- 
bers present  met  to-day  in  the  City  Hall,  there  being  about 
eleven  Senators  and  thirteen  Representatives,  and  not  con- 
stituting a  quorum  in  either  house,  they  adjourned  till 
to-morrow. 

Mrs.  Gerry  and  the  ladies  join  me  in  sincere  regards  to 
yourself,  your  lady,  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Smith,  and  be  as- 
sured I  remain,  etc. 

E.  GERRY. 


So  slow  was  the  movement  of  news  in  those  days, 
and  so  doubtful,  even  after  the  election,  were  all 
men  as  to  its  results,  Adams  would  not  start  from 
Braintree,  his  home,  till  he  knew  he  was  elected, 
nor  Washington  from  Mt.  Vernon.  Charles 
Thompson,  the  Secretary  of  the  old  Congress,  ar- 
rived at  Mt.  Vernon  on  the  fourteenth  of  April  and 
communicated  to  Washington  the  news  of  his  elec- 
tion. No  quorum  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
had  been  formed  until  the  first  of  April,  nor  of  the 
Senate  until  the  sixth.  These  bodies  then  counted 
the  electoral  vote,  with  the  result  predicted  by  Gerry 
in  his  letter  written  two  days  before. 

Washington  waited  a  day  before  starting  to  the 
seat  of  Government.  On  the  sixteenth  of  April  he 
started  for  New  York.  He  writes  in  his  diary: 

About  ten  o'clock  I  bade  adieu  to  Mount  Vernon,  to 
private  life  and  to  domestic  felicity ;  and  with  a  mind 
oppressed  with  more  anxious  and  painful  sensations  than 
I  have  words  to  express,  set  out  for  New  York  in  company 
with  Mr.  Thompson  and  Colonel  Humphries,  with  the  best 
dispositions  to  render  service  to  my  country  in  obedience 
to  its  call,  but  with  less  hope  of  answering  its  expectations. 


60  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

The  journey  began  with  a  public  dinner  at  Alex- 
andria. Said  the  gentlemen  of  Alexandria  in  their 
address  to  him : 

Farewell!  ...  Go!  ...  and  make  a  grateful  people 
happy,  a  people  who  will  be  doubly  grateful  when  they 
contemplate  this  recent  sacrifice  for  their  interest. 

And  Washington  in  his  reply  said : 

At  my  age,  and  in  my  circumstances,  what  prospects  or 
advantages  could  I  propose  to  myself,  for  embarking  again 
on  the  tempestuous  and  uncertain  ocean  of  public  life? 

The  journey  went  on  with  similar  interruptions. 
The  rule  so  often  laid  down  by  the  Virginians  after- 
ward that  that  is  the  best  government  which  gov- 
erns least,  was  certainly  well  kept  until  the  thir- 
teenth of  April.  To  this  hour  the  adventurous 
cyclist,  stopping  at  some  wayside  inn  to  refresh  him- 
self, may  find  upon  the  wall  the  picture  of  the  maid- 
ens and  mothers  of  Trenton  in  New  Jersey.  Here 
Washington  met  a  deputation  sent  to  him  by  Con- 
gress. A  triumphal  arch  had  been  erected,  and  a 
row  of  young  girls  dressed  in  white,  a  second  row 
of  ladies,  and  a  third  of  their  mothers,  awaited 
him.  As  he  passed,  the  girls  scattered  flowers,  and 
sang  the  verses  which  Judge  Marshall  has  pre- 
served : 

Welcome,  mighty  chief,  once  more 
Welcome  to  this  grateful  shore; 
Now  no  mercenary  foe 
Aims  again  the  fatal  blow — 
Aims  at  thee  the  fatal  blow. 


THE  PRESIDENT  61 

Virgins  fair  and  matrons  grave, 
These  thy  conquering  arm  did  save. 
Build  for  thee  triumphal  bowers, 
Strew,  ye  fair,  his  way  with  flowers — • 
Strew  your  Hero's  way  with  flowers. 

His  progress  through  New  Jersey  was  every- 
where accompanied  by  similar  festivities — "  festive 
illuminations,  the  ringing  of  bells,  and  the  boom- 
ing of  cannon."  He  had  written  to  Governor  Clin- 
ton, that  he  hoped  he  might  enter  New  York  with- 
out ceremony;  but  this  was  hardly  to  be  expected. 
A  committee  of  both  houses  met  him  at  Elizabeth- 
town;  he  embarked  in  a  splendid  barge  manned  by 
thirteen  pilots,  masters  of  vessels,  and  commanded 
by  Commodore  Nicholson ;  other  barges  and  boats 
fell  in  in  the  wake ;  and  a  nautical  procession  swept 
up  the  Bay  of  New  York.  On  board  two  vessels 
were  parties  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  who  sang  odes 
as  Washington  appeared.  The  ships  in  the  harbor 
were  dressed  in  colors  and  fired  salutes  as  he  passed. 
On  landing  at  Murray's  Wharf  he  was  welcomed  by 
Governor  Clinton  and  General  Knox.  It  is  of  the 
landing  at  this  point  that  the  anecdote  is  told  that  an 
officer  asked  Washington's  orders,  announcing  him- 
self as  commanding  his  guard.  Washington,  with 
his  ready  presence  of  mind,  begged  him  to  follow 
any  directions  he  had  already  received  in  the  ar- 
rangements, but  said  that  for  the  future  the  affec- 
tion of  his  fellow-citizens  was  all  the  guard  that  he 
required. 

At  the  end  of  the  day,  in  his  diary,  the  sad  man 
says: 


62  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

The  acclamations  of  the  people  filled  my  mind  with 
sensations  as  painful  as  pleasing. 

It  was  some  days  before  the  formal  inauguration. 
The  two  houses  of  Congress  did  not  know  by  what 
title  they  should  address  him,  and  a  committee  had 
been  appointed  to  discuss  this  subject.  It  was 
finally  agreed  that  the  address  should  be  simply, 
"  To  the  President  of  the  United  States  "—a  form 
which  has  remained  to  the  present  day. 

The  inauguration  finally  took  place  on  the  thir- 
tieth of  April. 

On  the  thirtieth  at  last  all  things  were  ready,  and 
the  inauguration  went  forward.  The  place  was  at 
what  they  then  called  Federal  Hall,  in  New  York, 
and  Chancellor  Livingstone  administered  the  oath: 

I  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  will  faithfully  administer 
and  execute  the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  will,  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  preserve,  protect,  and 
defend  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

A  salute  of  thirteen  guns  followed,  amid  the 
cheers  of  thousands  of  people.  Washington  then 
delivered  his  inaugural  speech  to  both  houses  in  the 
Senate  Chamber.  After  this  ceremony  he  walked 
to  St.  Paul's  Church,  where  the  Bishop  of  New 
York  read  prayers.  Maclay,  who  was  a  Senator  in 
the  first  Congress,  says: 

He  was  agitated  and  embarrassed  more  than  he  ever  was 
by  the  leveled  cannon  or  pointed  musket.  He  trembled 
and  several  times  could  scarce  make  out  to  read  his  speech, 
though  it  must  be  supposed  he  had  often  read  it  before. 


THE  PRESIDENT  63 

Fisher  Ames  says : 

He  addressed  the  two  houses  in  the  Senate  Chamber. 
It  was  a  very  touching  scene,  and  quite  of  a  solemn  kind. 
His  aspect,  grave  almost  to  sadness,  his  modesty,  actually 
shaking,  his  voice  deep,  a  little  tremulous,  and  so  low  as 
to  call  for  close  attention. 

John  Adams  had  taken  his  place  as  President  of 
the  Senate  two  days  before.  As  he  did  not  always 
in  after  life  speak  any  too  cordially  of  Washington, 
it  is  worth  noting  that  at  this  critical  period  he  said 
that  he  congratulated  the  people  of  America  on  "  the 
prospect  of  an  executive  authority  in  the  hands  of 
one  whose  portrait  I  shall  not  pretend  to  draw. 
.  .  .  Were  I  blessed  with  powers  to  do  justice  to 
his  character,  it  would  be  impossible  to  increase  the 
confidence,  or  affection  of  his  country,  or  make  the 
smallest  addition  to  his  glory.  This  can  only  be  ef- 
fected by  a  discharge  of  the  present  exalted  trust 
on  the  same  principles,  with  the  same  abilities  and 
virtues  which  have  uniformly  appeared  in  all  his 
former  conduct,  public  or  private.  May  I  never- 
theless be  indulged  to  inquire,  if  we  look  over  the 
catalogue  of  the  first  magistrates  of  nations,  whether 
they  have  been  denominated  presidents  or  consuls, 
kings  or  princes,  where  shall  we  find  one  whose 
commanding  talents  and  virtues,  whose  overruling 
good  fortune,  have  so  completely  united  all  hearts 
and  voices  in  his  favor  ?  who  enjoyed  the  esteem  and 
admiration  of  foreign  nations  and  fellow-citizens 
with  equal  unanimity?  Qualities  so  uncommon  are 
no  common  blessings  to  the  country  that  possesses 


64          WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

them.  By  these  great  qualities  and  their  benign  ef- 
fects has  Providence  marked  out  the  head  of  this 
Nation,  with  a  hand  so  distinctly  visible  as  to  have 
been  seen  by  all  men,  and  mistaken  by  none." 

Whether  on  this  occasion,  there  were  too  much 
ceremony  was  a  question  discussed  at  the  time,  in 
connection  with  the  heated  discussion  as  to  the 
etiquette  of  the  new  Administration.  There  is  a 
correspondence  between  Washington  and  an  old 
friend,  Stuart,  of  Virginia,  who  had  told  him  that 
the  people  of  that  State  accused  him  of  "  regal  man- 
ners." 

Washington's  reply,  with  his  usual  good  sense, 
answers  a  good  many  questions  which  are  bruited 
to-day.  Dr.  Albert  Shaw,  in  the  Review  of  Re- 
views, once  brought  some  of  these  questions  for- 
ward. "  How  far  is  it  right  for  the  people  of  a  free 
state  to  kill  their  magistrates  by  inches  ?  "  This  is 
the  question  reduced  to  its  simplest  terms.  It  was 
generally  understood,  when  the  late  Governor 
Greenhalge  died  in  Massachusetts,  that  his  career, 
invaluable  to  the  people  of  that  State  and  of  the 
country,  had  been  cut  off  untimely  by  a  certain 
etiquette,  which  obtains  in  Massachusetts,  that 
whenever  there  is  a  public  dinner  the  Governor  of 
the  State  must  be  present  and  make  a  speech.  With 
reference  to  a  somewhat  similar  notion,  Washing- 
ton says: 

Before  the  present  custom  was  established  I  was  unable 
to  attend  to  any  business  whatever.  Gentlemen,  consult- 
ing their  own  convenience  rather  than  mine,  were  calling 
from  the  time  I  rose  from  breakfast,  often  before,  until 


THE  PRESIDENT  65 

I  sat  down  to  dinner.  To  please  everybody  was  impossible. 
I  therefore  adopted  that  line  of  conduct  which  combined 
public  advantage  with  private  convenience. 

In  another  place  he  says : 

Had  I  not  adopted  the  principle  of  returning  no  visits,  I 
should  have  been  unable  to  have  attended  to  any  sort  of 
business. 

In  contrast  with  the  simple  ceremonies  at  which 
a  sensitive  democracy  took  exception,  we  find  now 
that  a  great  nation  considers  no  honors  too  profuse 
for  the  ceremonies  which  attend  the  inauguration  of 
its  chief  magistrate. 


WASHINGTONIANA 

Extracts  from  the  Contemporary  Newspapers  and 
other  Accounts  of  the  Inauguration  of  our  First 
President  in  1789 

From  The  Massachusetts  Sentinel,  May  6,  1789: 

New  York,  May  I.  Yesterday  the  great  and  il- 
lustrious Washington,  the  favorite  son  of  liberty, 
and  deliverer  of  his  country,  entered  upon  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  office  of  First  Magistrate  of  the 
United  States  of  America;  to  which  important  sta- 
tion he  had  been  unanimously  called  by  the  united 
voice  of  the  people.  The  ceremony  which  took  place 


66          WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

on  this  occasion  was  truly  grand  and  pleasing,  and 
every  heart  seemed  anxious  to  testify  the  joy  it  felt 
on  so  memorable  an  event.  His  Excellency  was 
escorted  from  his  house  by  a  troop  of  light  Dra- 
goons, and  the  Legion,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Lewis,  attended  by  a  committee  of  the  Sen- 
ate and  House  of  Representatives,  to  Federal  Hall, 
•where  he  was  formally  received  by  both  Houses  of 
Congress,  assembled  in  the  Senate  Chamber;  after 
which  he  was  conducted  to  the  gallery  in  front  of 
the  hall,  accompanied  by  all  the  members  when  the 
oath  prescribed  by  the  Constitution  was  admin- 
istered to  him  by  the  Chancellor  of  this  State,  who 
then  said — 

"  Long  live  George  Washington, 

President  of  the  United  States ; "  which  was  an- 
swered by  an  immense  concourse  of  citizens,  as- 
sembled on  the  occasion,  by  the  loudest  plaudit  and 
acclamation  that  love  and  veneration  ever  inspired. 
His  Excellency  then  made  a  speech  to  both  Houses, 
and  then  proceeded,  attended  by  Congress,  to  St. 
Paul's  Church,  where  Divine  Service  was  performed 
by  the  Right  Rev.  Samuel  Provost,  after  which  His 
Excellency  was  conducted  in  form  to  his  own  house. 
In  the  evening  a  most  magnificent  and  brilliant  dis- 
play of  fireworks  was  exhibited  at  the  Fort,  under 
the  direction  of  Colonel  Beuman.  The  houses  of 
the  French  and  Spanish  Ministers  were  illuminated 
in  a  superb  and  elegant  manner ;  a  number  of  beau- 
tiful transparent  paintings  were  exhibited,  which 


THE  PRESIDENT  67 

did  infinite  credit  to  the  parties  concerned  in  the  de- 
sign and  execution. 


April  30.  We  have  had  this  day  one  of  those  im- 
pressive sights  which  dignify  and  adorn  human  na- 
ture. At  nine  o'clock  all  the  churches  were  opened 
— and  the  people,  in  prodigious  numbers,  thronged 
these  sacred  temples — and,  with  one  voice,  put  up 
their  prayers  to  Almighty  God  for  the  safety  of  the 
President. 

At  twelve  the  procession  moved  to  the  Federal 
State  House,  where  in  the  gallery  fronting  Broad 
Street,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  concourse, 
His  Excellency  took  the  oath,  the  book  being  placed 
on  a  velvet  cushion.  The  Chancellor  then  pro- 
claimed him  President — and  in  a  moment  the  air 
trembled  with  the  shouts  of  the  citizens,  and  the 
roar  of  artillery.  His  Excellency,  with  that  great- 
ness of  soul — that  dignity  and  calmness,  which  are 
his  characteristics — then  bowed  to  his  "  fellow-citi- 
zens " — who  again  huzzaed. 


From  "History  of  the  Arts  of  Design  in  Amer- 
ica," by  William  Dunlap: 

Major  L'Enfant  was  a  native  of  France ;  he  was 
employed  to  rebuild  after  a  design  of  his  own  the 
old  New  York  City  Hall  in  Wall  Street,  fronting 
Broad  Street;  making  therefrom  the  Federal  Hall 
of  that  day  (1789).  The  new  building  was  for  the 
accommodation  of  Congress;  and  in  the  balcony 
upon  which  the  Senate  Chamber  opened,  the  first 


68  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

President  of  the  United  States  was  inaugurated.  A 
ceremony  which  I  witnessed,  and  which  for  its  sim- 
plicity, the  persons  concerned  in  it,  the  effect  pro- 
duced upon  my  country  and  the  world,  in  giving 
stability  to  the  Federal  Constitution,  by  calling 
Washington  to  administer  its  blessings,  remains  on 
my  mind  unrivaled  by  any  scene  witnessed,  through 
a  long  life,  either  in  Europe  or  America. 

From  Dunlap's  "School  History  of  New  York  ": 

In  1789,  I  saw  Washington  divested  of  the  garb 
of  war,  place  his  hand  on  the  Bible,  and  swear  to 
support  that  Constitution  under  which  I  have  since 
lived  happily  half  a  century.  Between  the  pillars 
of  the  old  City  Hall,  in  Wall  Street,  as  altered  for 
the  reception  of  the  Federal  Congress,  in  view  of 
thousands  who  filled  Broad  Street  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  extend  its  view,  and  every  avenue  within 
sight  of  the  building,  the  man  of  the  people's  choice 
was  announced  to  them,  as  the  first  President  of 
the  United  States  of  America. 


Abstract  of  account  in  New  York  Packet: 

New  York,  May  i,  1789.  Yesterday  at  two 
o'clock  was  solemnly  inaugurated  into  office,  our 
Illustrious  President. 

The  ceremony  was  begun  by  the  following  pro- 
cession from  the  Federal  House  to  the  President's 
house,  viz.: 


THE  PRESIDENT  69 

Troop  of  Horse 

Assistants 
Committee  of  Representatives 

Committee  of  Senate 

Gentlemen  to  be  admitted  in  the  Senate  Chamber 

Gentlemen  in  coaches 

Citizens  on   foot 

On  their  arrival,  the  President  joined  the  pro- 
cession in  his  carriage  and  four,  and  the  whole 
moved  through  the  principal  streets  to  the  State 
House  in  the  following  order : 

Troop  of  Horse 

Infantry 

Sheriff  on  horseback 

Committee  of  Representatives 

Committee  of  Senate 

President  and 

Assistants   (President's  Suite)   Assistants 

Gentlemen  to  be  admitted  in  the  Senate  Chamber 

Gentlemen  in  coaches 

Citizens  on  foot 

When  the  van  reached  the  State  House,  the  troops 
opening  their  ranks  formed  an  avenue,  through 
which,  after  alighting,  the  President,  advancing  to 
the  door,  was  conducted  to  the  Senate  Chamber, 
where  he  was  received  by  both  branches  of  Con- 
gress, and  by  them  accompanied  to  the  balcony  or 
outer  gallery  in  front  of  the  State  House,  which 
was  decorated  with  a  canopy  and  curtains  of  red 
interstreaked  with  white  for  the  solemn  occasion. 
In  this  public  manner  the  oath  of  office  required  by 
the  Constitution  was  administered  by  the  Chancellor 


70  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

of  this  State,  and  the  illustrious  Washington  there- 
upon declared  by  the  said  Chancellor,  PRESIDENT  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATES,  amidst  the  repeated  huzzas 
and  acclamations  of  a  numerous  and  crowded 
audience. 

After  the  inauguration,  the  President,  returning 
to  the  Senate  Chamber,  delivered  a  speech  to  both 
Houses  of  Congress. 

After  this  the  President,  accompanied  by  both 
Houses  of  Congress,  proceeded  on  foot  to  St.  Paul's 
Church  (where  divine  service  was  performed  by 
the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Provost,  suitable  to  the  im- 
mediate occasion)  in  the  following  order,  viz. : 

Troop  of  Horse 

Infantry 
Door  Keeper  and  Messenger  of   Representatives 

Clerk 
Representatives 

Speaker 

President  and  Vice-President 

President's   Suite 

Senators 

Secretary 

Door  Keeper  and  Messenger  of  the  Senate 

Gentlemen  admitted  into  the  Senate  Chamber 

Sheriff 

Citizens 

Constables,  marshals,  etc.,  on  each  side  of  the 
Members  of  Congress  at  proper"  distances,  from  the 
front  of  the  Representatives  to  the  rear  of  the  Sen- 
ators. 

In  the  evening  fireworks  were  displayed  under  the 


THE  PRESIDENT  71 

direction  of  Colonel  Bauman. — The  brilliancy  and 
excellency  of  them  does  honor  to  the  projector. 

The  houses  of  their  Excellencies  the  French  and 
Spanish  Ambassadors  were  most  elegantly  illumi- 
nated on  this  auspicious  occasion. 


Extract  of  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  in  New  York 
to  his  friend  in  Philadelphia,  dated  May  i,  1789: 

Yesterday  the  great  Patriot  Washington  took  a 
solemn  charge  of  the  liberties  of  America.  The 
magnificence  and  splendor  of  the  procession,  from 
his  house  to  the  Federal  Building,  commanded  the 
admiration  of  every  beholder.  But  above  all,  the 
solemnity  which  appeared  while  he  took  the  oath 
of  office,  was  truly  affecting.  The  silent  joy  which 
every  rank  of  spectators  exhibited  in  their  coun- 
tenances, bespoke  the  sincere  wishes  of  their  hearts. 
I  could  have  wished  you  to  have  been  a  spectator. 

The  fireworks  exhibited  in  the  evening  were 
truly  brilliant ;  and  the  illuminations  and  transparent 
paintings  of  the  Spanish  and  French  Ambassadors 
surpassed  even  conception  itself. 


New  York,  May  2,  1789.  We  feel  satisfied  in 
adding  to  the  account  given  in  yesterday's  paper  of 
the  inauguration  of  the  President, — that  His  Ex- 
cellency on  that  great  day,  was  dressed  in  a  complete 
suit  of  elegant  broadcloth  of  the  manufacture  of  his 
country. — Pennsylvania  Packet,  May  6,  1789. 


72  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

From  the  Gazette  of  the  United  States: 

THE  PRESIDENT,  accompanied  by  His  Ex- 
cellency the  Vice-President,  the  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  both  Houses  of  Con- 
gress, went  to  St.  Paul's  Chapel,  where  divine 
service  was  performed  by  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Pro- 
vost, Bishop  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  this  State, 
and  Chaplain  to  the  Senate. 

The  religious  solemnity  being  ended,  the  Presi- 
dent was  escorted  to  his  residence. 


Evening  Celebration 

The  transparent  paintings  exhibited  in  various 
parts  of  the  city,  on  Thursday  evening,  were  equal 
at  least  to  anything  of  the  kind  ever  before  seen  in 
America. 

That  displayed  before  the  Fort  at  the  bottom  of 
Broad-way  did  great  honor  to  its  inventors  and  ex- 
ecutors, for  the  ingenuity  of  the  design,  and  good- 
ness of  the  workmanship ;  it  was  finely  lighted  and 
advantageously  situated:  The  virtues,  Fortitude,1 
Justice,2  and  Wisdom  3  were  judiciously  applied;  of 
the  first,  all  America  has  had  the  fullest  evidence; 
and  with  respect  to  the  two  others,  who  does  not  en- 
tertain the  most  pleasing  anticipations. 

His  Excellency  Don  Gardqui's  residence  next 
caught  the  eye — and  fixed  it  in  pleasing  contempla- 

*The  President. 

'The  Senate. 

'The  Representatives  of  the  United  States. 


THE  PRESIDENT  73 

tion:  The  Tout-en-semble  here,  formed  a  most 
brilliant  front;  the  figures  well  fancied.  The 
Graces  suggested  the  best  ideas ;  and  the  pleasing 
variety  of  emblems,  flowers,  shrubbery,  arches,  &c., 
and  above  all  the  Moving  Pictures,  that  figured  in 
the  windows  or,  as  it  were,  in  the  background,  cre- 
ated by  fixing  the  transparencies  between  the  win- 
dows, afforded  a  new — an  animated  and  enchanting 
spectacle. 

The  residence  of  his  Excellency,  Count  Meustier, 
was  illuminated  in  a  stile  of  novel  elegance;  the 
splendid  bordering  of  lamps  round  the  windows, 
doors,  &c.,  with  the  fancy  pieces  of  each  window; 
and  above  all  the  large  designs  in  front,  the  allu- 
sions, of  which  we  cannot  at  present  particularly  de- 
scribe, did  great  honor  to  the  taste  and  sentiment  of 
the  inventor. 

The  above  two  instances  of  attention  to  honor 
this  great  and  important  occasion,  so  highly  inter- 
esting to  our  "  dear  country,"  evince  the  friendship, 
the  delicacy,  and  politeness  of  our  illustrious  allies. 

The  portrait  of  "THE  FATHER  OF  HIS 
COUNTRY"  exhibited  in  Broad-Street,  was  ex- 
tremely well  executed,  and  had  a  fine  effect. 

There  was  an  excellent  transparency,  also  shown 
at  the  Theatre,  and  at  the  corner,  near  the  Fly- 
Market:  In  short,  emulation  and  ingenuity  were 
alive;  but  perhaps  were  in  no  instance  exhibited  to 
greater  advantage  than  in  the  display  of  fireworks, 
which,  from  one  novelty  to  another,  continued  for 
two  hours,  to  surprise  by  variety,  taste,  and 
brilliancy. 


74          WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

The  illumination  of  the  Federal  State  House  was 
among  the  most  agreeable  of  the  exhibitions  of  the 
evening;  and  the  ship  Carolina  formed  a  beautiful 
pyramid  of  stars:  The  evening  was  fine — the  com- 
pany innumerable — everyone  appeared  to  enjoy  the 
scene,  and  no  accident  casts  the  smallest  clouds  upon 
the  retrospect. 


May  i.  Yesterday  morning  The  President  re- 
ceived the  compliments  of  His  Excellency  the  Vice- 
President,  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  this 
State,  the  principal  Officers  of  the  different  Depart- 
ments; the  foreign  Ministers;  and  a  great  number 
of  other  persons  of  distinction. 

We  are  informed  that  the  President  has  assigned 
every  Tuesday  and  Friday,  between  the  hours  of 
two  and  three,  for  receiving  visits;  and  that  visits 
of  compliment  on  other  days,  and  particularly  on 
Sundays,  will  not  be  agreeable  to  him. 

It  seems  to  be  a  prevailing  opinion  that  so  much 
of  The  President's  time  will  be  engaged  by  the 
various  and  important  business  imposed  upon  him 
by  the  Constitution,  that  he  will  find  himself  con- 
strained to  omit  returning  visits,  or  accepting  in- 
vitations to  Entertainments. 


THE  PRESIDENT  75 


LESSONS  FROM  THE  WASHINGTON  CEN- 
TENNIAL 

BY  GEORGE  A.  GORDON 

Picture  to  yourselves  the  joy  and  expectation 
of  that  day  which  saw  the  establishment  of  our 
Government  a  century  ago.  As  the  patriots  of  that 
day  in  the  midst  of  festivity  and  joy  look  back  upon 
famine  and  nakedness  and  peril  and  sword,  upon 
battlefields  and  garments  rolled  in  blood,  as  they 
think  of  their  emergence  from  the  long  struggle 
weary  and  exhausted,  as  they  recall  their  precarious 
existence  as  a  nation  under  the  articles  of  confed- 
eration, as  they  behold  the  blessing  of  God  upon 
their  faith  and  courage  and  energy,  can  we  not  hear 
those  voices,  hushed  so  long  ago,  speaking  to  us  and 
assuring  us  that  they  that  sow  in  tears  shall  reap  in 
joy? 

We  think  of  the  founding  of  our  Government  and 
we  recall  at  this  moment  the  representatives  of  three 
generations  of  statesmen,  Washington  and  Hamil- 
ton, Clay  and  Webster,  Lincoln  and  Sumner.  Our 
attention  will  be  concentrated  on  the  unique  and 
commanding  figure  of  the  first  President.  Through 
the  renewed  study  and  statement  of  his  public  career 
many  lessons,  familiar  indeed,  but  of  fresh  im- 
portance, will  be  read  into  the  hearts  of  our  country. 

We  cannot  doubt  in  the  case  of  Washington  the 
fact  of  a  divine  call.  Joshua  was  not  more  evi- 
dently called  to  command  the  armies  of  Israel  than 


76  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Washington  to  lead  the  forces  of  the  united  col- 
onies. David  was  not  more  signally  summoned 
from  the  sheep-folds  to  the  throne  of  his  people  than 
Washington  from  his  quiet  home  on  the  Potomac  to 
the  seat  of  supreme  power  over  his  countrymen. 
There  was  not  a  single  believer  in  the  Divine  Being 
in  the  Constitutional  Congress  who  did  not  hear  in 
the  voice  of  John  Adams,  when  he  moved  the  ap- 
pointment of  George  Washington  as  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  all  the  forces  raised  or  to  be  raised, 
the  creation  and  appointment  of  God. 

So,  in  his  election  and  re-election  to  the  office  of 
President,  Hamilton  set  forth  the  clearness  and 
urgency  of  the  call  in  the  remark  that  circumstances 
left  Washington  no  option.  That  wonderful  tri- 
umphal procession  from  Mount  Vernon  to  New 
York,  through  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  and  Tren- 
ton, is  in  response  to  the  appeal  and  command  not 
only  of  earth,  but  of  Heaven.  As  the  nation's 
first  President  was  called  of  God,  so  is  the  nation 
itself  called.  The  divine  ideal  is  before  it  as  it  was 
before  him.  God  had  work  for  Washington;  he 
had  work  for  his  nation ;  he  had  work  for  every  one 
of  his  fellow-citizens.  An  ideal  good  is  before 
every  man,  and  divine  power  behind  him.  Let  him 
consent  to  the  control  of  the  power. 

The  nation's  life  and  each  individual  life  within 
it  is  founded  on  the  sense  of  obligation.  We  have 
in  the  model  of  Washington  a  definition  of  duty  in 
the  special  sense  of  the  term,  in  the  saying,  "  I  most 
heartily  wish  the  choice  may  not  fall  upon  me.  The 
wish  of  my  soul  is  to  spend  the  evening  of  my  days 


THE  PRESIDENT  77 

as  a  private  citizen  on  my  farm."  There  is  the 
power  of  inclination,  the  pleading  of  personal  ease 
and  comfort,  the  assertion  of  individual  good.  In 
all  this  there  is  nothing  wrong,  until  it  comes  into 
conflict  with  the  national  call,  with  the  universal 
good.  Then  came  the  fight  between  the  special  and 
the  general,  the  private  and  the  public,  the  individual 
and  the  universal  good. 

The  hope  of  a  nation  is  in  the  choice  of  office  of 
its  best  men.  The  historic  peril  of  the  republic  lies 
in  the  choice  of  unfit  men  for  eminent  official  posi- 
tion. This  is  our  peril.  It  is  well  we  are  becom- 
ing more  and  more  alive  to  it.  Nevertheless  it  is 
well  to  remember  that  there  have  been  times  in  our 
history  when  the  voice  of  electors  has  been  the 
voice  of  God.  When  Washington  was  elected,  the 
fittest  man  was  chosen.  His  was  the  rule  of  the 
wisest  and  best  man.  There  are  few  living  who 
will  not  confess  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  another 
example  of  the  choice  by  the  people  of  the  best 
man.  We  turn  in  hope  to  the  great  future.  After 
he  had  taken  the  oath,  Washington  bowed  his  head, 
kissed  the  Bible,  and,  with  the  deepest  feeling,  ut- 
tered the  words,  "  So  help  me  God."  There  was 
his  hope.  There  is  the  hope  of  every  man.  There 
is  the  hope  of  the  nation. 


78  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

PRESIDENT  WASHINGTON'S  RECEPTIONS 

BY    WILLIAM    SULLIVAN 

He  devoted  one  hour  every  other  Tuesday,  from 
three  to  four,  to  these  visits.  He  understood  him- 
self to  be  visited  as  the  "  President  of  the  United 
States,"  and  not  on  his  own  account.  He  was  not 
to  be  seen  by  anybody  and  everybody ;  but  required 
that  everyone  who  came  should  be  introduced  by 
his  secretary,  or  by  some  gentleman  whom  he  knew 
himself.  He  lived  on  the  south  side  of  Market 
Street,  just  below  Sixth.  The  place  of  reception 
was  the  dining-room  in  the  rear,  twenty-five  or 
thirty  feet  in  length,  including  the  bow  projecting 
over  into  the  garden.  Mrs.  Washington  received 
her  visitors  in  the  two  rooms  on  the  second  floor, 
from  front  to  rear. 

'--At  three  o'clock,  or  at  any  time  within  a  quarter 
v  of  an  hour  afterward,  the  visitor  was  conducted  to 
this  dining-room,  from  which  all  seats  had  been  re- 
moved for  the  time.  On  entering,  he  saw  the  tall, 
manly  figure  of  Washington,  clad  in  black  velvet; 
his  hair  in  full  dress,  powdered  and  gathered  be- 
hind in  a  large  silk  bag;  yellow  gloves  on  his  hands ; 
holding  a  cocked  hat  with  cockade  in  it,  and  the 
edges  adorned  with  a  black  feather,  about  an  inch 
deep.  He  wore  knee  and  shoe  buckles ;  and  a  long 
sword  with  a  finely  wrought  and  polished  steel  hilt. 
The  scabbard  was  white  polished  leather. 

He  stood  always  in  front  of  the  fireplace,  with  his 
face  toward  the  door  of  entrance.  The  visitor  was 


THE  PRESIDENT  79 

conducted  to  him,  and  he  required  to  have  the  name 
so  distinctly  pronounced  that  he  could  hear  it.  He 
had  the  very  uncommon  faculty  of  associating  a 
man's  name  and  personal  appearance  so  durably  in 
his  memory,  as  to  be  able  to  call  anyone  by  name, 
who  made  a  second  visit.  He  received  his  visitor 
with  a  dignified  bow,  while  his  hands  were  so  dis- 
posed of  as  to  indicate  that  the  salutation  was  not 
to  be  accompanied  with  shaking  hands.  This  cere- 
mony never  occurred  in  these  visits,  even  with  his 
most  near  friends,  that  no  distinction  might  be  made. 

As  these  visitors  came  in,  they  formed  a  circle 
round  the  room.  At  a  quarter-past  three,  the  door 
was  closed,  and  the  circle  was  formed  for  that  day. 
He  then  began  on  the  right  and  spoke  to  each  vis- 
itor, calling  him  by  name  and  exchanging  a  few 
words  with  him.  When  he  had  completed  his  cir- 
cuit he  resumed  his  first  position,  and  the  visitors 
approached  him  in  succession,  bowed,  and  retired. 
By  four  o'clock  the  ceremony  was  over. 

On  the  evenings  Mrs.  Washington  received  vis- 
itors, he  did  not  consider  himself  as  visited.  He 
was  then  as  a  private  gentleman,  dressed  usually  in 
some  colored  coat  and  waistcoat,  often  brown  with 
bright  buttons,  and  black  on  his  lower  limbs.  He 
had  then  neither  hat  nor  sword;  he  moved  about 
among  the  company,  conversing  with  one  and  an- 
other. He  had  once  a  fortnight  an  official  dinner, 
and  select  companies  on  other  days.  He  sat  (it  is 
said)  at  the  side  in  a  central  position,  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington opposite;  the  two  ends  were  occupied  by 
members  of  his  family,  or  by  personal  friends. 


8o  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

THE  FOREIGN  POLICY  OF  WASHINGTON 

BY   CHARLES   JAMES   FOX 

How  infinitely  superior  must  appear  the  spirit 
and  principles  of  General  Washington,  in  his  late 
address  to  Congress,  compared  with  the  policy  of 
modern  European  courts!  Illustrious  man!— de- 
riving honor  less  from  the  splendor  of  his  situa- 
tion than  from  the  dignity  of  his  mind !  Grateful  to 
France  for  the  assistance  received  from  her  in  that 
great  contest  which  secured  the  independence  of 
America,  he  yet  did  not  choose  to  give  up  the  sys- 
tem of  neutrality  in  her  favor.  Having  once  laid 
down  the  line  of  conduct  most  proper  to  be  pursued, 
not  all  the  insults  and  provocations  of  the  French 
Minister,  Genet,  could  at  all  put  him  out  of  his  way 
or  bend  him  from  his  purpose.  It  must,  indeed, 
create  astonishment  that,  placed  in  circumstances  so 
critical,  and  filling  a  station  so  conspicuous,  the 
character  of  Washington  should  never  once  have 
been  called  in  question ;  that  he  should  in  no  one  in- 
stance have  been  accused  either  of  improper  inso- 
lence or  of  mean  submission  in  his  transactions  with 
foreign  nations.  It  has  been  reserved  for  him  to 
run  the  race  of  glory  without  experiencing  the  small- 
est interruption  to  the  brilliancy  of  his  career.  The 
breath  of  censure  has  not  dared  to  impeach  the 
purity  of  his  conduct,  nor  the  eye  of  envy  to  raise 
its  malignant  glance  to  the  elevation  of  his  virtues. 
Such  has  been  the  transcendent  merit  and  the  un- 
paralleled fate  of  this  illustrious  man ! 


THE  PRESIDENT  81 

How  did  he  act  when  insulted  by  Genet  ?  Did  he 
consider  it  as  necessary  to  avenge  himself  for  the 
misconduct  or  madness  of  an  individual  by  involving 
a  whole  continent  in  the  horrors  of  war?  No;  he 
contented  himself  with  procuring  satisfaction  for  the 
insult  by  causing  Genet  to  be  recalled,  and  thus  at 
once  consulted  his  own  dignity  and  the  interests  of 
his  country.  Happy  Americans!  while  the  whirl- 
wind flies  over  one  quarter  of  the  globe,  and  spreads 
everywhere  desolation,  you  remain  protected  from 
its  baneful  effects  by  your  own  virtues  and  the  wis- 
dom of  your  government.  Separated  from  Europe 
by  an  immense  ocean,  you  feel  not  the  effect  of  those 
prejudices  and  passions  which  convert  the  boasted 
seats  of  civilization  into  scenes  of  horror  and  blood- 
shed. You  profit  by  the  folly  and  madness  of  the 
contending  nations,  and  afford,  in  your  more  con- 
genial clime,  an  asylum  to  those  blessings  and  vir- 
tues which  they  wantonly  contemn,  or  wickedly  ex- 
clude from  their  bosom!  Cultivating  the  arts  of 
peace  under  the  influence  of  freedom,  you  advance 
by  rapid  strides  to  opulence  and  distinction;  and  if 
by  any  accident  you  should  be  compelled  to  take 
part  in  the  present  unhappy  contest, — if  you  should 
find  it  necessary  to  avenge  insult  or  repel  injury, — 
the  world  will  bear  witness  to  the  equity  of  your 
sentiments  and  the  moderation  of  your  views;  and 
the  success  of  your  arms  will,  no  doubt,  be  propor- 
tioned to  the  justice  of  your  cause. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON1 

BY    HAMILTON    WRIGHT    MABIE 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1797,  Washington  went  to 
the  inauguration  of  his  successor  as  President  of  the 
United  States.  The  Federal  Government  was  sit- 
ting in  Philadelphia  at  that  time,  and  Congress  held 
sessions  in  the  courthouse  on  the  corner  of  Sixth 
and  Chestnut  Streets. 

At  the  appointed  hour  Washington  entered  the 
hall,  followed  by  John  Adams,  who  was  to  take 
the  oath  of  office.  When  they  were  seated,  Wash- 
ington arose  and  introduced  Mr.  Adams  to  the  audi- 
ence, and  then  proceeded  to  read  in  a  firm,  clear 
voice  his  brief  valedictory — not  his  great  "  Fare- 
well Address,"  for  that  had  already  been  published. 
A  lady  who  sat  on  "  the  front  bench,"  "  immedi- 
ately in  front "  of  Washington,  describes  the  scene 
in  these  words : 

There  was  a  narrow  passage  from  the  door  of  entrance 
to  the  room.  General  Washington  stopped  at  the  end  to 
let  Mr.  Adams  pass  to  the  chair.  The  latter  always  wore 
a  full  suit  of  bright  drab,  with  loose  cuffs  to  his  coat. 
General  Washington's  dress  was  a  full  suit  of  black.  His 
military  hat  had  the  black  cockade.  There  stood  the 

1  From  "  Heroes  Every  Child  Should  Know."  Copyright, 
1906,  by  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co. 

85 


86          WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

"  Father  of  his  Country,"  acknowledged  by  nations  the  first 
in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  country- 
men. No  marshals  with  gold-colored  scarfs  attended  him ; 
there  was  no  cheering,  no  noise ;  the  most  profound  silence 
greeted  him  as  if  the  great  assembly  desired  to  hear  him 
breathe.  Mr.  Adams  covered  his  face  with  both  his  hands ; 
the  sleeves  of  his  coat  and  his  hands  were  covered  with 
tears.  Every  now  and  then  there  was  a  suppressed  sob. 
I  cannot  describe  Washington's  appearance  as  I  felt  it — 
perfectly  composed  and  self-possessed  till  the  close  of  his 
address.  Then,  when  strong  nervous  sobs  broke  loose, 
when  tears  covered  the  faces,  then  the  great  man  was 
shaken.  I  never  took  my  eyes  from  his  face.  Large  drops 
came  from  his  eyes.  He  looked  as  if  his  heart  was  with 
them,  and  would  be  to  the  end. 

On  Washington's  retirement  from  the  Presidency 
one  of  his  first  employments  was  to  arrange  his  pa- 
pers and  letters.  Then,  on  returning  to  his  home, 
the  venerable  master  found  many  things  to  repair. 
His  landed  estate  comprised  eight  thousand  acres, 
and  was  divided  into  farms,  with  inclosures  and 
farm  buildings.  And  now,  with  body  and  mind 
alike  sound  and  vigorous,  he  bent  his  energies  to 
directing  the  improvements  that  marked  his  last 
days  at  Mount  Vernon. 

In  his  earlier  as  well  as  in  later  life,  his  tour  of 
the  farms  would  average  from  eight  to  twelve  or 
fourteen  miles  a  day.  He  rode  upon  his  farms  en- 
tirely unattended,  opening  his  gates,  pulling  down 
and  putting  up  his  fences  as  he  passed,  visiting  his 
laborers  at  their  work,  inspecting  all  the  operations 
of  his  extensive  establishment  with  a  careful  eye, 
directing  useful  improvements,  and  superintending 
them  in  their  progress. 


LAST  DAYS  87 

He  usually  rode  at  a  moderate  pace  in  passing 
through  his  fields.  But  when  behind  time,  this 
most  punctual  of  men  would  display  the  horse- 
manship of  his  earlier  days,  and  a  hard  gallop 
would  bring  him  up  to  time  so  that  the  sound  of 
his  horse's  hoofs  and  the  first  dinner  bell  would 
be  heard  together  at  a  quarter  before  three. 

A  story  is  told  that  one  day  an  elderly  stranger 
meeting  a  Revolutionary  worthy  out  hunting,  a 
long-tried  and  valued  friend  of  the  chief,  accosted 
him,  and  asked  whether  Washington  was  to  be 
found  at  the  mansion  house,  or  whether  he  was  off 
riding  over  his  estate.  The  friend  answered  that 
he  was  visiting  his  farms,  and  directed  the  stranger 
the  road  to  take,  adding,  "  You  will  meet,  sir,  with 
an  old  gentleman  riding  alone  in  plain  drab  clothes, 
a  broad-brimmed  white  hat,  a  hickory  switch  in  his 
hand,  and  carrying  an  umbrella  with  a  long  staff, 
which  is  attached  to  his  saddle-bow — that  person, 
sir,  is  General  Washington." 

Precisely  at  a  quarter  before  three  the  industrious 
farmer  returned,  dressed,  and  dined  at  three  o'clock. 
At  this  meal  he  ate  heartily,  but  was  not  particular 
in  his  diet  with  the  exception  of  fish,  of  which  he 
was  excessively  fond.  Touching  his  liking  for  fish, 
and  illustrative  of  his  practical  economy  and  abhor- 
rence of  waste  and  extravagance,  an  anecdote  is 
told  of  the  time  he  was  President  and  living  in  Phil- 
adelphia. It  happened  that  a  single  shad  had  been 
caught  in  the  Delaware,  and  brought  to  the  city 
market.  His  steward,  Sam  Fraunces,  pounced  upon 
the  fish  with  the  speed  of  an  osprey,  delighted  that 


&  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

he  had  secured  a  delicacy  agreeable  to  the  palate 
of  his  chief,  and  careless  of  the  expense,  for  which 
the  President  had  often  rebuked  him. 

When  the  fish  was  served,  Washington  suspected 
the  steward  had  forgotten  his  order  about  ex- 
penditure for  the  table,  and  said  to  Fraunces,  who 
stood  at  his  post  at  the  sideboard,  "  What  fish  is 
this  ?  "  "A  shad,  sir,  a  very  fine  shad,"  the  steward 
answered.  "  I  know  Your  Excellency  is  par- 
ticularly fond  of  this  kind  of  fish,  and  was  so  for- 
tunate as  to  procure  this  one — the  only  one  in  mar- 
ket, sir,  the  first  of  the  season."  "  The  price,  sir, 
the  price  ?  "  asked  Washington  sternly.  "  Three — 
three  dollars,"  stammered  the  conscience-stricken 
steward.  "  Take  it  away,"  thundered  the  chief, 
"  take  it  away,  sir!  It  shall  never  be  said  that  my 
table  set  such  an  example  of  luxury  and  ex- 
travagance." Poor  Fraunces  tremblingly  did  as  he 
was  told,  and  the  first  shad  of  the  season  was  car- 
ried away  untouched,  to  be  speedily  discussed  in 
the  servants'  dining-room. 

Although  the  Farmer  of  Mount  Vernon  was  much 
retired  from  the  business  world,  he  was  by  no 
means  inattentive  to  the  progress  of  public  affairs. 
When  the  post-bag  arrived,  he  would  select  his  let- 
ters and  lay  them  aside  for  reading  in  the  seclusion 
of  his  library.  The  newspapers  he  would  peruse 
while  taking  his  single  cup  of  tea  (his  only  supper) 
and  read  aloud  passages  of  peculiar  interest,  re- 
marking the  matter  as  he  went  along.  He  read  with 
distinctness  and  precision.  These  evenings  with  his 
family  always  ended  at  precisely  nine  o'clock,  when 


LAST  DAYS  89 

he  bade  everyone  good-night  and  retired  to  rest,  to 
rise  again  at  four  and  renew  the  same  routine  of 
labor  and  enjoyment. 

Washington's  last  days,  like  those  that  preceded 
them  in  the  course  of  a  long  and  well-spent  life, 
were  devoted  to  constant  and  careful  employment. 
His  correspondence  both  at  home  and  abroad  was 
immense.  Yet  no  letter  was  unanswered.  One  of 
the  best-bred  men  of  his  time,  Washington  deemed 
it  a  grave  offense  against  the  rules  of  good  manners 
and  propriety  to  leave  letters  unanswered.  He 
wrote  with  great  facility,  and  it  would  be  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  find  another  who  had  written  so 
much,  who  had  written  so  well.  General  Harry 
Lee  once  observed  to  him,  "  We  are  amazed,  sir,  at 
the  vast  amount  of  work  you  get  through."  Wash- 
ington answered,  "  Sir,  I  rise  at  four  o'clock,  and  a 
great  deal  of  my  work  is  done  while  others  sleep." 

He  was  the  most  punctual  of  men,  as  we  said. 
To  this  admirable  quality  of  rising  at  four  and  re- 
tiring to  rest  at  nine  at  all  seasons,  this  great  man 
owed  his  ability  to  accomplish  mighty  labors  during 
his  long  and  illustrious  life.  He  was  punctual  in 
everything,  and  made  everyone  about  him  punctual. 
So  careful  a  man  delighted  in  always  having  about 
him  a  good  timekeeper.  In  Philadelphia  the  first 
President  regularly  walked  up  to  his  watchmaker's 
to  compare  his  watch  with  the  regulator.  At  Mount 
Vernon  the  active  yet  punctual  farmer  invariably 
consulted  the  dial  when  returning  from  his  morn- 
ing ride,  and  before  entering  his  house. 

The  affairs  of  the  household  took  order  from  the 


90  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

master's  accurate  and  methodical  arrangement  of 
time.  Even  the  fisherman  on  the  river  watched  for 
the  cook's  signal  when  to  pull  in  shore  and  deliver 
his  catch  in  time  for  dinner. 

Among  the  picturesque  objects  on  the  Potomac,  to 
be  seen  from  the  eastern  portion  of  the  mansion 
house,  was  the  light  canoe  of  the  house's  fisher. 
Father  Jack  was  an  African,  an  hundred  years  of 
age,  and  although  enfeebled  in  body  by  weight  of 
years,  his  mind  possessed  uncommon  vigor.  And 
he  would  tell  of  days  long  past,  when,  under 
African  suns,  he  was  made  captive,  and  of  the  ter- 
rible battle  in  which  his  royal  sire  was  slain,  the 
village  burned,  and  himself  sent  to  the  slave 
ship. 

Father  Jack  had  in  a  considerable  degree  a  lead- 
ing quality  of  his  race — somnolency.  Many  an  hour 
could  the  family  of  Washington  see  the  canoe  fas- 
tened to  a  stake,  with  the  old  fisherman  bent  nearly 
double  enjoying  a  nap,  which  was  only  disturbed  by 
the  jerking  of  the  white  perch  caught  on  his  hook. 
But,  as  we  just  said,  the  domestic  duties  of  Mount 
Vernon  were  governed  by  clock  time,  and  the  slum- 
bers of  fisher  Jack  might  occasion  inconvenience, 
for  the  cook  required  the  fish  at  a  certain  hour,  so 
that  they  might  be  served  smoking  hot  precisely  at 
three.  At  times  he  would  go  to  the  river  bank  and 
make  the  accustomed  signals,  and  meet  with  no  re- 
sponse. The  old  fisherman  would  be  quietly  repos- 
ing in  his  canoe,  rocked  by  the  gentle  undulations  of 
the  stream,  and  dreaming,  no  doubt,  of  events 
"  long  time  ago."  The  importune  master  of  the 


LAST  DAYS  91 

kitchen,  grown  ferocious  by  delay,  would  now  rush 
up  and  down  the  water's  edge,  and,  by  dint  of  loud 
shouting,  cause  the  canoe  to  turn  its  prow  to  the 
shore.  Father  Jack,  indignant  at  its  being  supposed 
he  was  asleep  at  his  post,  would  rate  those  present 
on  his  landing,  "  What  you  all  meek  such  a  debil 
of  a  noise  for,  hey?  I  wa'nt  sleep,  only  noddin'." 

The  establishment  of  Mount  Vernon  employed  a 
perfect  army  of  domestics ;  yet  to  each  one  were  as- 
signed special  duties,  and  from  each  one  strict  per- 
formance was  required.  There  was  no  confusion 
where  there  was  order,  and  the  affairs  of  this  estate, 
embracing  thousands  of  acres  and  hundreds  of  de- 
pendents, were  conducted  with  as  much  ease, 
method,  and  regularity  as  the  affairs  of  a  homestead 
of  average  size. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  an  accomplished  housewife 
of  the  olden  time,  and  she  gave  constant  attention 
to  all  matters  of  her  household,  and  by  her  skill  and 
management  greatly  contributed  to  the  comfort  and 
entertainment  of  the  guests  who  enjoyed  the  hos- 
pitality of  her  home. 

The  best  charities  of  life  were  gathered  round 
Washington  in  the  last  days  at  Mount  Vernon.  The 
love  and  veneration  of  a  whole  people  for  his  il- 
lustrious services,  his  generous  and  untiring  labors 
in  the  cause  of  public  utility;  his  kindly  demeanor 
to  his  family  circle,  his  friends,  and  numerous  de- 
pendents ;  his  courteous  and  cordial  hospitality  to  his 
guests,  many  of  them  strangers  from  far  distant 
lands;  these  charities,  all  of  which  sprang  from 
the  heart,  were  the  ornament  of  his  declining  years, 


92  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

and  granted  the  most  sublime  scene  in  nature,  when 
human  greatness  reposes  upon  human  happiness. 

On  the  morning  of  the  I3th  of  December,  1799, 
the  General  was  engaged  in  making  some  improve- 
ments in  the  front  of  Mount  Vernon.  As  was 
usual  with  him,  he  carried  his  own  compass,  noted 
his  observations,  and  marked  out  the  ground.  The 
day  became  rainy,  with  sleet,  and  the  improver  re- 
mained so  long  exposed  to  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather  as  to  be  considerably  wetted  before  his  re- 
turn to  the  house.  About  one  o'clock  he  was  seized 
with  chilliness  and  nausea,  but  having  changed  his 
clothes,  he  sat  down  to  his  indoor  work.  At  night, 
on  joining  his  family  circle,  he  complained  of  a 
slight  indisposition.  Upon  the  night  of  the  follow- 
ing day,  having  borne  acute  suffering  with  com- 
posure and  fortitude,  he  died. 

In  person  Washington  was  unique.  He  looked 
like  no  one  else.  To  a  stature  lofty  and  command- 
ing he  united  a  form  of  the  manliest  proportions, 
and  a  dignified,  graceful,  and  imposing  carriage. 
In  the  prime  of  life  he  stood  six  feet,  two  inches. 
From  the  period  of  the  Revolution  there  was  an 
evident  bending  in  his  frame  so  passing  straight  be- 
fore, but  the  stoop  came  from  the  cares  and  toils 
of  that  arduous  contest  rather  than  from  years. 
For  his  step  was  firm,  his  appearance  noble  and  im- 
pressive long  after  the  time  when  the  physical  prop- 
erties of  men  are  supposed  to  wane. 

A  majestic  height  was  met  by  corresponding 
breadth  and  firmness.  His  whole  person  was  so 
cast  in  nature's  finest  mould  as  to  resemble  an  an- 


LAST  DAYS  93 

cient  statue,  all  of  whose  parts  unite  to  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  whole.  But  with  all  its  development  of 
muscular  power,  Washington's  form  had  no  look  of 
bulkiness,  and  so  harmonious  were  its  proportions 
that  he  did  not  appear  so  tall  as  his  portraits  have 
represented.  He  was  rather  spare  than  full  dur- 
ing his  whole  life. 

The  strength  of  Washington's  arm  was  shown  on 
several  occasions.  He  threw  a  stone  from  the  bed 
of  the  stream  to  the  top  of  the  Natural  Bridge, 
Virginia,  and  another  stone  across  the  Rappahan- 
nock  at  Fredericksburg.  The  stone  was  said  to  be 
a  piece  of  slate  about  the  size  of  a  dollar  with  which 
he  spanned  the  bold  river,  and  it  took  the  ground  at 
least  thirty  yards  on  the  other  side.  Many  have 
since  tried  this  feat,  but  none  have  cleared  the 
water. 

In  1772  some  young  men  were  contending  at 
Mount  Vernon  in  the  exercise  of  pitching  the  bar. 
The  Colonel  looked  on  for  a  time,  then  grasping  the 
missile  in  his  master  hand,  he  whirled  the  iron 
through  the  air,  and  it  fell  far  beyond  any  of  its 
former  limits.  "  You  see,  young  gentlemen,"  said 
the  chief  with  a  smile,  "  that  my  arm  yet  retains 
some  portion  of  my  early  vigor."  He  was  then  in 
his  fortieth  year,  and  probably  in  the  fullness  of 
his  physical  powers.  Those  powers  became  rather 
mellowed  than  decayed  by  time,  for  "  his  age  was 
like  lusty  winter,  frosty  yet  kindly,"  and  up  to  his 
sixty-eighth  year  he  mounted  a  horse  with  surprising 
agility,  and  rode  with  ease  and  grace.  Rickets,  the 
celebrated  equestrian,  used  to  say,  "  I  delight  to  see 


94  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

the  General  ride,  and  make  it  a  point  to  fall  in  with 
him  when  I  hear  he  is  out  on  horseback — his  seat 
is  so  firm,  his  management  so  easy  and  graceful, 
that  I,  who  am  an  instructor  in  horsemanship,  would 
go  to  him  and  learn  to  ride." 

In  his  later  day,  the  General,  desirous  of  riding 
pleasantly,  procured  from  the  North  two  horses  of 
a  breed  for  bearing  the  saddle.  They  were  well  to 
look  at,  and  pleasantly  gaited  under  the  saddle,  but 
also  scary,  and  therefore  unfitted  for  the  service  of 
one  who  liked  to  ride  quietly  on  his  farm,  occasion- 
ally dismounting  and  walking  in  his  fields  to  inspect 
improvements.  From  one  of  these  horses  the  Gen- 
eral sustained  a  fall — probably  the  only  fall  he  ever 
had  from  a  horse  in  his  life.  It  was  upon  a  No- 
vember evening,  and  he  was  returning  from  Alex- 
andria to  Mount  Vernon,  with  three  friends  and  a 
groom.  Having  halted  a  few  moments,  he  dis- 
mounted, and  upon  rising  in  his  stirrup  again,  the 
horse,  alarmed  at  the  glare  from  a  fire  near  the 
roadside,  sprang  from  under  his  rider,  who  came 
heavily  to  the  ground.  His  friends  rushed  to  give 
him  assistance,  thinking  him  hurt.  But  the  vigor- 
ous old  man  was  upon  his  feet  again,  brushing  the 
dust  from  his  clothes,  and  after  thanking  those  who 
came  to  his  aid,  said  that  he  had  had  a  very  com- 
plete tumble,  and  that  it  was  owing  to  a  cause  no 
horseman  could  well  avoid  or  control — that  he  was 
only  poised  in  his  stirrup,  and  had  not  yet  gained  his 
saddle  when  the  scary  animal  sprang  from  under 
him. 

Bred  in  the  vigorous  school  of  frontier  warfare, 


LAST  DAYS  95 

"  the  earth  for  his  bed,  his  canopy  the  heavens," 
Washington  excelled  the  hunter  and  woodsman  in 
their  athletic  habits,  and  in  those  trials  of  manhood 
which  filled  the  hardy  days  of  his  early  life.  He 
was  amazingly  swift  of  foot,  and  could  climb  steep 
mountains  seemingly  without  effort.  Indeed,  in  all 
the  tests  of  his  great  physical  powers  he  appeared 
to  make  little  effort.  When  he  overthrew  the 
strong  man  of  Virginia  in  wrestling,  upon  a  day 
when  many  of  the  finest  athletes  were  engaged  in  the 
contest,  he  had  retired  to  the  shade  of  a  tree  intent 
upon  the  reading  of  a  book.  It  was  only  after  the 
champion  of  the  games  strode  through  the  ring  call- 
ing for  nobler  antagonists,  and  taunting  the  reader 
with  the  fear  that  he  would  be  thrown,  that  Wash- 
ington closed  his  book.  Without  taking  off  his  coat 
he  calmly  observed  that  fear  did  not  enter  his 
make-up;  then  grappling  with  the  champion,  he 
hurled  him  to  the  ground.  "  In  Washington's  lion- 
like  grasp,"  said  the  vanquished  wrestler,  "  I  became 
powerless,  and  went  down  with  a  force  that  seemed 
to  jar  the  very  marrow  in  my  bones."  The  victor, 
regardless  of  shouts  at  his  success,  leisurely  retired 
to  his  shade,  and  again  took  up  his  book. 

Washington's  powers  were  chiefly  in  his  limbs. 
His  frame  was  of  equal  breadth  from  the  shoulders 
to  the  hips.  His  chest  was  not  prominent,  but 
rather  hollowed  in  the  center.  He  never  entirely 
recovered  from  a  pulmonary  affection  from  which 
he  suffered  in  early  life.  His  frame  showed  an  ex- 
traordinary development  of  bone  and  muscle;  his 
joints  were  large,  as  were  his  feet;  and  could  a  cast 


96          WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

of  his  hand  have  been  preserved,  it  would  be 
ascribed  to  a  being  of  a  fabulous  age.  Lafayette 
said,  "  I  never  saw  any  human  being  with  so  large 
a  hand  as  the  General's." 

Of  the  awe  and  reverence  which  the  presence  of 
Washington  inspired  we  have  many  records.  "  I 
stood,"  says  one  writer,  "  before  the  door  of  the 
Hall  of  Congress  in  Philadelphia,  when  the  carriage 
of  the  President  drew  up.  It  was  a  white  coach, 
or,  rather,  of  a  light  cream  color,  painted  on  the 
panels  with  beautiful  groups  representing  the  four 
seasons.  As  Washington  alighted,  and,  ascending 
the  steps,  paused  on  the  platform,  he  was  preceded 
by  two  gentlemen  bearing  large  white  wands,  who 
kept  back  the  eager  crowd  that  pressed  on  every 
side.  At  that  moment  I  stood  so  near  I  might  have 
touched  his  clothes;  but  I  should  as  soon  have 
thought  of  touching  an  electric  battery.  I  was 
penetrated  with  deepest  awe.  Nor  was  this  the 
feeling  of  the  schoolboy  I  then  was.  It  pervaded,  I 
believe,  every  human  being  that  approached  Wash- 
ington ;  and  I  have  been  told  that  even  in  his  social 
hours,  this  feeling  in  those  who  shared  them  never 
suffered  intermission.  I  saw  him  a  hundred  times 
afterward,  but  never  with  any  other  than  the  same 
feeling.  The  Almighty,  who  raised  up  for  our 
hour  of  need  a  man  so  peculiarly  prepared  for  its 
whole  dread  responsibility,  seems  to  have  put  a 
stamp  of  sacredness  upon  his  instrument.  The 
first  sight  of  the  man  struck  the  eye  with  involuntary 
homage,  and  prepared  everything  around  him  to 
obey. 


LAST  DAYS  97 

"  At  the  time  I  speak  of,  he  stood  in  profound 
silence  and  had  the  statue-like  air  which  mental 
greatness  alone  can  bestow.  As  he  turned  to  enter 
the  building,  and  was  ascending  the  staircase  to  the 
Congressional  hall,  I  glided  along  unseen,  almost  un- 
der the  cover  of  the  skirts  of  his  dress,  and  entered 
into  the  lobby  of  the  House,  which  was  in  session  to 
receive  him. 

"  At  Washington's  entrance  there  was  a  most  pro- 
found silence.  House,  lobbies,  gallery,  all  were 
wrapped  in  deepest  attention.  And  the  souls  of  the 
entire  assemblage  seemed  peering  from  their  eyes  as 
the  noble  figure  deliberately  and  unaffectedly  ad- 
vanced up  the  broad  aisle  of  the  hall  between  ranks 
of  standing  Senators  and  members,  and  slowly 
ascended  the  steps  leading  to  the  Speaker's  chair. 

"  The  President,  having  seated  himself,  remained 
in  silence,  and  the  members  took  their  seats,  wait- 
ing for  the  speech.  No  house  of  worship  was  ever 
more  profoundly  still  than  that  large  and  crowded 
chamber. 

"  Washington  was  dressed  precisely  as  Stuart  has 
painted  him  in  full-length  portrait — in  a  full  suit  of 
the  richest  black  velvet,  with  diamond  knee-buckles 
and  square  silver  buckles  set  upon  shoes  japanned 
with  most  scrupulous  neatness ;  black  silk  stockings, 
his  shirt  ruffled  at  the  breast  and  waist,  a  light  dress 
sword,  his  hair  profusely  powdered,  fully  dressed, 
so  as  to  project  at  the  sides,  and  gathered  behind  in 
a  silk  bag  ornamented  with  a  large  rose  or  black 
ribbon.  He  held  his  cocked  hat,  which  had  a  large 
black  cockade  on  one  side  of  it,  in  his  hand,  as  he 


98  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

advanced  toward  the  chair,  and  when  seated,  laid  it 
on  the  table. 

"  At  length  thrusting  his  hand  within  the  side  of 
his  coat,  he  drew  forth  a  roll  of  manuscript  which 
he  opened,  and  rising,  read  in  a  rich,  deep,  full, 
sonorous  voice  his  opening  address  to  Congress. 
His  enunciation  was  deliberate,  justly  emphasized, 
very  distinct,  and  accompanied  with  an  air  of  deep 
solemnity  as  being  the  utterance  of  a  mind  conscious 
of  the  whole  responsibility  of  its  position,  but  not 
oppressed  by  it.  There  was  ever  about  the  man 
something  which  impressed  one  with  the  conviction 
that  he  was  exactly  and  fully  equal  to  what  he  had 
to  do.  He  was  never  hurried ;  never  negligent ;  but 
seemed  ever  prepared  for  the  occasion,  be  it  what  it 
might.  In  his  study,  in  his  parlor,  at  a  levee,  be- 
fore Congress,  at  the  head  of  the  army,  he  seemed 
ever  to  be  just  what  the  situation  required.  He 
possessed,  in  a  degree  never  equaled  by  any  human 
being  I  ever  saw,  the  strongest,  most  ever-present 
sense  of  propriety." 

In  the  early  part  of  Washington's  administra- 
tion, great  complaints  were  made  by  political  op- 
ponents of  the  aristocratic  and  royal  demeanor  of 
the  President.  Particularly,  these  complaints  were 
about  the  manner  of  his  receiving  visitors.  In  a 
letter  Washington  gave  account  of  the  origin  of  his 
levees :  "  Before  the  custom  was  established,"  he 
wrote,  "  which  now  accommodates  foreign  char- 
acters, strangers,  and  others,  who,  from  motives  of 
curiosity,  respect  for  the  chief  magistrate,  or  other 
cause,  are  induced  to  call  upon  me,  I  was  unable  to 


LAST  DAYS  99 

attend  to  any  business  whatever;  for  gentlemen, 
consulting  their  own  convenience  rather  than  mine, 
were  calling  after  the  time  I  rose  from  breakfast, 
and  often  before,  until  I  sat  down  to  dinner.  This, 
as  I  resolved  not  to  neglect  my  public  duties,  re- 
duced me  to  the  choice  of  one  of  these  alternatives : 
either  to  refuse  visits  altogether,  or  to  appropriate 
a  time  for  the  reception  of  them.  ...  To  please 
everybody  was  impossible.  I,  therefore,  adopted 
that  line  of  conduct  which  combined  public  ad- 
vantage with  private  convenience.  .  .  .  These  vis- 
its are  optional,  they  are  made  without  invitation; 
between  the  hours  of  three  and  four  every  Tues- 
day I  am  prepared  to  receive  them.  Gentlemen, 
often  in  great  numbers,  come  and  go,  chat  with 
each  other,  and  act  as  they  please.  A  porter  shows 
them  into  the  room,  and  they  retire  from  it  when 
they  choose,  without  ceremony.  At  their  first  en- 
trance they  salute  me,  and  I  them,  and  as  many 
as  I  can  talk  to." 

An  English  gentleman,  after  visiting  President 
Washington,  wrote :  "  There  was  a  commanding  air 
in  his  appearance  which  excited  respect  and  forbade 
too  great  a  freedom  toward  him,  independently  of 
that  species  of  awe  which  is  always  felt  in  the  moral 
influence  of  a  great  character?  In  every  move- 
ment, too,  there  was  a  polite  gracefulness  equal  to 
any  met  with  in  the  most  polished  individuals  of 
Europe,  and  his  smile  was  extraordinarily  at- 
tractive. ...  It  struck  me  no  man  could  be  bet- 
ter formed  for  command.  A  stature  of  six  feet,  a 
robust  but  well-proportioned  frame  calculated  to 


ioo         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

stand  fatigue,  without  that  heaviness  which  gener- 
ally attends  great  muscular  strength  and  abates 
active  exertion,  displayed  bodily  power  of  no  mean 
standard.  A  light  eye  and  full — the  very  eye  of 
genius  and  reflection.  His  nose  appeared  thick,  and 
though  it  befitted  his  other  features,  was  too  coarsely 
and  strongly  formed  to  be  the  handsomest  of  its 
class.  His  mouth  was  like  no  other  I  ever  saw: 
the  lips  firm,  and  the  underjaw  seeming  to  grasp  the 
upper  with  force,  as  if  its  muscles  were  in  full  action 
when  he  sat  still." 

Such  Washington  appeared  to  those  who  saw  and 
knew  him.  Such  he  remains  to  our  vision.  His 
memory  is  held  by  us  in  undying  honor.  Not  only 
his  memory  alone,  but  also  the  memory  of  his  as- 
sociates in  the  struggle  for  American  Independence. 
Homage  we  should  have  in  our  hearts  for  those 
patriots  and  heroes  and  sages  who  with  humble 
means  raised  their  native  land — now  our  native  land 
— from  the  depths  of  dependence,  and  made  it  a 
free  nation.  And  especially  for  Washington,  who 
presided  over  the  nation's  course  at  the  beginning  of 
the  great  experiment  in  self-government  and,  after 
an  unexampled  career  in  the  service  of  freedom  and 
our  human-kind,  with  no  dimming  of  august  fame, 
died  calmly  at  Mount  Vernon — the  Father  of  his 
Country. 


LAST  DAYS  101 

WASHINGTON'S  LAST  DAYS1 

BY  ELIZABETH  EGGLESTON  SEELYE 

Once  more  before  he  died  Washington  was  called 
into  public  life  for  a  short  time.  President  Adams 
had  sent  three  commissioners  to  France.  The 
French  Minister,  Talleyrand,  treated  them  ill,  and 
sent  secret  agents  to  them  to  let  them  know  that 
nothing  would  be  done  until  they  paid  large  bribes. 
The  three  Americans  sent  home  cipher  dispatches  in 
which  they  told  how  they  had  been  received.  Presi- 
dent Adams  thought  best  to  publish  these  dispatches, 
putting  the  letters  X,  Y,  and  Z  in  place  of  the  names 
of  the  secret  agents.  These  papers  came  to  be 
known  as  the  X,  Y,  and  Z  dispatches,  and  they 
caused  great  excitement  in  America.  The  cry  was, 
"  Millions  for  defense,  but  not  one  cent  for  tribute," 
and  the  war  spirit  rose  very  high.  Everyone  wished 
Washington  to  be  the  leader  in  case  there  should  be 
war  with  France.  President  Adams  accordingly 
wrote  to  Washington,  asking  him  to  accept  the 
command  of  the  new  army  which  was  to  be 
formed.  Washington  accepted,  on  condition  that  he 
was  not  to  be  called  into  service  unless  there  should 
really  be  war,  and  that  he  should  be  allowed  to 
name  the  chief  officers  who  were  to  serve  under 
him.  He  wished  to  put  a  young  and  able  man  sec- 
ond in  command — for  old  officers  seldom  make  good 

1  From  "  The  Story  of  Washington."  D.  Appleton  & 
Co.,  1893- 


102         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

ones — so  he  chose  Hamilton  first,  then  Pinckney, 
and  then  Knox.  Adams  disliked  Hamilton,  and 
tried  to  place  Knox  second  in  command,  as  this  old 
officer  thought  his  due.  There  was  some  trouble 
between  Washington  and  Adams  on  this  point,  but 
Adams  was  forced  to  give  way  to  the  great  leader. 
Washington  went  to  Philadelphia  in  the  fall  of 
1798,  to  work  over  army  plans  with  his  major-gen- 
erals. It  seemed  possible  that  he  might  have  to 
lead  the  Americans  against  one  of  Napoleon's 
great  armies.  But  though  he  made  careful 
preparations,  Washington  did  not  believe  that  there 
would  be  war.  He  thought,  however,  that  prepar- 
ing for  war  would  be  the  best  way  to  bring  about 
peace.  And  so  it  proved;  for  no  sooner  did  Tal- 
leyrand see  that  the  Americans  were  really  aroused 
than  he  caused  it  to  be  intimated  to  the  American 
Minister  at  Holland  that  he  would  treat  another  en- 
voy better.  Adams  accordingly  sent  one  to  France, 
and  war  was  finally  averted,  though  the  news  of  the 
settlement  did  not  reach  America  until  after  the 
death  of  her  great  General. 

Washington  had  said,  "  I  am  of  a  short-lived 
family,  and  cannot  remain  long  upon  the  earth." 
In  fact,  his  sister  and  all  of  his  brothers  except  one 
died  before  he  did.  According  to  his  usual  careful 
habits,  he  made  out  a  long  paper,  in  which  he 
planned  how  his  estates  should  be  managed  for 
several  years,  with  a  rotation  of  crops.  He  finished 
this  paper  only  four  days  before  his  death.  The 
day  before  he  was  taken  ill  he  walked  out  with  his 
nephew,  Lawrence  Lewis,  who  was  married  to  Nelly 


LAST  DAYS  103 

Custis  and  living  at  Mount  Vernon,  and  talked  to 
him  about  building  a  new  family  vault.  "  This 
change,"  said  he,  "  I  shall  make  first  of  all,  for  I 
may  require  it  before  the  rest." 

On  the  I2th  of  December,  1799,  Washington 
made  the  tour,  as  usual,  of  his  plantations.  The 
weather  was  very  bad.  There  was  rain,  hail,  and 
snow  falling  at  different  times,  and  a  cold  wind 
blowing.  It  was  after  three  o'clock  when  he  re- 
turned. Mr.  Lear,  his  secretary,  brought  him  some 
letters  to  be  franked,  for  he  intended  to  send  them 
to  the  post  office  that  afternoon.  Washington 
franked  the  letters,  but  said  that  the  weather  was 
too  bad  to  send  a  servant  out  with  them.  Lear  no- 
ticed that  the  General's  neck  appeared  to  be  wet, 
and  that  there  was  snow  clinging  to  his  hair.  He 
spoke  to  him  about  it,  but  Washington  said  that  he 
was  not  wet,  as  his  greatcoat  had  protected  him. 
He  went  to  dinner,  which  was  waiting  for  him, 
without  changing  his  clothes.  The  next  day  he 
complained  of  a  sore  throat,  and  remained  in  the 
house  in  the  morning,  as  it  was  snowing  hard.  In 
the  afternoon,  however,  he  went  out  to  mark  some 
trees  which  he  wished  cut  down,  between  the  house 
and  the  river.  He  was  quite  hoarse  by  evening. 
He  sat  in  the  parlor,  however,  with  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton and  Lear,  reading  the  papers  which  had  been 
brought  from  the  post  office.  He  read  some  things 
aloud  in  spite  of  his  hoarseness.  At  nine  o'clock 
Mrs.  Washington  went  to  the  room  of  her  grand- 
daughter Nelly,  whose  first  child  had  recently  been 
born.  The  two  gentlemen  continued  to  read  the 


104         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

papers,  and  Washington  seemed  cheerful.  Once  he 
became  excited  over  some  political  event,  and  used 
some  of  the  strong  words  he  could  command  on 
occasion.  Before  they  went  to  bed,  Lear  advised 
the  General  to  take  something  for  his  cold. 

"  No,"  said  Washington ;  "  you  know  I  never 
take  anything  for  a  cold.  Let  it  go  as  it  came." 

During  the  night,  however,  he  had  a  chill,  and 
awoke  Mrs.  Washington,  telling  her  that  he  felt  ill. 
She  wished  to  get  up,  but  he  would  not  allow  her 
to  do  this,  lest  she  should  take  cold.  When  the 
servant  came  into  the  room  to  make  a  fire  at  day- 
light, Mrs.  Washington  sent  for  Lear,  and  got  up 
herself.  The  General  was  now  breathing  with  dif- 
ficulty, and  could  scarcely  speak.  Lear  sent  for 
Dr.  Craik,  and  meantime  Washington  told  him  to 
send  for  Mr.  Rawlins,  an  overseer,  to  bleed  him. 
Rawlins  came  soon  after  sunrise,  and  trembled  at 
the  prospect  of  opening  a  vein  on  the  great  man's 
arm.  "  Don't  be  afraid,"  said  Washington ;  and 
when  the  vein  had  been  opened,  he  added,  "  the 
orifice  is  not  large  enough."  Mrs.  Washington  did 
not  approve  of  the  bleeding  before  the  doctor  came, 
but  Washington  said,  "  More,  more."  It  was  a 
universal  remedy  in  those  days,  but  it  brought  no 
relief  to  the  sufferer. 

During  the  day  three  doctors  arrived.  Washing- 
ton was  bled  three  times;  blisters  were  applied  to 
the  throat  and  the  feet ;  all  that  medical  science  could 
do  in  that  day  was  tried,  but  without  success.  The 
disease  was  an  acute  laryngitis,  and  could  have 
been  relieved  only  by  tracheotomy,  which  was  not 


LAST  DAYS  105 

practical  in  the  South,  though  it  had  been  tried  in 
Philadelphia  at  an  earlier  date.  About  half -past 
four  in  the  afternoon  the  sick  man  asked  Mrs. 
Washington  to  go  downstairs  and  fetch  two  wills 
from  his  desk.  He  looked  at  them,  and  asked  her 
to  burn  one  of  them,  which  she  did.  Lear  now 
came  to  his  bedside  and  took  his  hand. 

"  I  find  I  am  going,"  Washington  said  to  him. 
"  My  breath  cannot  last  long.  I  believed  from  the 
first  that  the  disorder  would  prove  fatal.  Do  you 
arrange  and  record  all  my  late  military  letters  and 
papers.  Arrange  my  accounts  and  settle  my  books, 
as  you  know  more  about  them  than  anyone  else,  and 
let  Mr.  Rawlins  finish  recording  my  other  letters 
which  he  has  begun." 

Washington  asked  Lear  whether  he  thought  of 
anything  else  that  ought  to  be  done;  he  had  but  a 
very  short  time,  he  said,  to  remain  with  his  friends. 
The  secretary  answered  that  he  could  think  of 
nothing,  and  that  he  hoped  the  General  was  not  so 
near  his  end  as  he  thought.  Washington  smiled, 
and  said  that  he  certainly  was,  "  and  that,  as  it  was 
a  debt  which  we  must  all  pay,  he  looked  on  the  event 
with  perfect  resignation." 

Sometimes  he  seemed  to  be  in  pain  and  distress 
from  the  difficulty  of  breathing,  and  was  very  rest- 
less. Lear  would  then  lie  down  upon  the  bed  and 
raise  and  turn  him  as  gently  as  possibly.  Washing- 
ton often  said,  "  I  am  afraid  I  shall  fatigue  you  too 
much  " ;  and  when  the  young  man  assured  him  that 
he  wished  for  nothing  but  to  give  him  ease,  Wash- 
ington replied: 


io6         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

"  Well,  it  is  a  debt  we  must  pay  to  each  other,  and 
I  hope  that  when  you  want  aid  of  this  kind  you  will 
find  it." 

He  noticed  that  his  servant,  Christopher,  had  been 
standing  most  of  the  day,  and  told  him  to  sit  down. 
He  asked  when  his  nephew  Lewis  and  his  adopted 
son  Custis,  who  were  away  from  home,  would  re- 
turn. When  his  lifelong  friend,  Dr.  Craik,  came  to 
his  bedside,  he  said :  "  Doctor,  I  die  hard,  but  I  am 
not  afraid  to  go.  I  believed  from  my  first  attack 
that  I  should  not  survive  it.  My  breath  cannot  last 
long."  The  doctor  was  unable  to  answer  from 
grief,  and  could  only  press  his  hand. 

He  afterward  said  to  all  the  physicians :  "  I  feel 
myself  going.  I  thank  you  for  your  attentions ;  but, 
I  pray  you,  take  no  more  trouble  about  me.  Let 
me  go  off  quietly;  I  cannot  last  long."  He  con- 
tinued to  be  restless  and  uneasy,  but  made  no  com- 
plaints, only  asking  now  and  then  what  time  it  was. 
When  Lear  helped  him  to  move,  he  gave  the  secre- 
tary a  look  of  gratitude.  About  ten  o'clock  at  night 
he  made  several  efforts  to  speak  to  Lear  before  he 
could  do  so.  He  finally  said:  "I  am  just  going. 
Have  me  decently  buried;  and  do  not  let  my  body 
be  put  into  the  vault  in  less  than  three  days  after  I 
am  dead."  Lear  nodded,  for  he  could  not  speak. 

"  Do  you  understand  ?  "  asked  Washington. 

"  Yes." 

'  Tis  well,"  said  the  dying  man. 

About  ten  minutes  before  death  his  breathing 
became  easier;  he  felt  his  own  pulse,  and  the  ex- 
pression of  his  face  changed.  One  hand  presently 


LAST  DAYS  107 

fell  from  the  wrist  of  the  other.  Lear  took  it  in 
his  and  pressed  it  to  his  bosom. 

Mrs.  Washington,  who  sat  near  the  foot  of  the 
bed,  asked  in  a  firm  voice,  "  Is  he  gone  ?  " 

Lear  was  unable  to  speak,  but  made  a  sign  that 
Washington  was  dead. 

"  Tis  well,"  said  she ;  "  all  is  now  over ;  I  shall 
soon  follow  him;  I  have  no  more  trials  to  pass 
through." 

Washington  died  on  December  14,  1799,  in  his 
sixty-eighth  year.  All  his  neighbors  and  relatives 
assembled  to  attend  his  funeral;  the  militia  and 
Freemasons  of  Alexandria  were  present;  eleven 
pieces  of  artillery  were  brought  to  Mount  Vernon 
to  do  military  honors,  and  a  schooner  which  lay  in 
the  Potomac  fired  minute  guns.  Washington's  horse, 
with  saddle,  holster,  and  pistols,  was  led  before  the 
coffin  by  two  grooms  dressed  in  black.  The  body 
was  deposited  in  the  old  family  vault,  after  short 
and  simple  ceremonies.  Washington  was  deeply 
mourned  all  over  the  United  States,  for  never  had 
a  man  been  so  beloved  by  his  own  countrymen. 

Washington  left  all  of  his  estates  to  his  wife 
for  life;  after  her  death  they  were  to  be  divided 
between  his  nephews  and  nieces,  and  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington's grandchildren.  He  made  his  nephew, 
Bushrod  Washington,  his  principal  heir,  leaving 
Mount  Vernon  to  him.  He  said  that  he  did  this 
partly  because  he  had  promised  the  young  man's 
father,  his  brother,  John  Augustine,  when  they  were 
bachelors,  to  leave  Mount  Vernon  to  him  in  case 
he  should  fall  in  the  French  war.  He  willed  that 


io8         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

all  his  negro  slaves  should  be  set  free  on  the  death 
of  his  wife.  He  said  that  he  earnestly  wished  that 
it  might  be  done  before  this,  but  he  feared  it  would 
cause  trouble  on  account  of  their  intermarriages 
with  the  dower  negroes  who  came  to  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton from  her  first  husband,  and  whom  he  had  no 
right  to  free.  He  willed  also  that  such  should  be 
comfortably  clothed  and  fed  by  his  heirs.  To  his 
five  nephews  he  left  his  swords,  with  the  injunction 
that  they  were  "  not  to  unsheath  them  for  the  pur- 
pose of  shedding  blood,  except  it  be  in  self-defense, 
or  in  defense  of  their  country  and  its  rights;  and 
in  the  latter  case  to  keep  them  unsheathed,  and 
prefer  falling  with  them  in  their  hands  to  the 
relinquishment  thereof." 

Washington's  life  is  an  open  book.  He  knew 
that  he  was  making  history,  and  he  kept  careful 
copies  of  all  his  most  important  letters  and  writings, 
so  that  it  is  impossible  that  there  should  be  doubts 
on  any  very  important  point.  So  jealous  was  he 
of  his  own  honorable  reputation,  that  his  last  act  as 
President  was  to  file  a  denial  of  the  authenticity  of 
some  spurious  letters  which  were  attributed  to  him 
by  his  political  enemies.  These  letters  were  first 
published  during  the  Revolution  by  the  English,  and 
purported  to  be  written  by  Washington  to  Lund 
Washington,  to  Mrs.  Washington,  and  to  John 
Parke  Custis.  The  person  who  wrote  them  knew 
something  of  Washington's  private  affairs,  but  he 
made  the  American  general  say  things  which  rep- 
resented him  as  opposed  to  the  independence  of  the 
colonies.  It  was  asserted  that  Washington  in  his 


LAST  DAYS  109 

retreat  from  New  York  left  his  servant  Billy  be- 
hind, and  that  these  papers  were  found  in  a  hand- 
bag which  the  valet  carried.  As  it  was  well  known 
in  the  army  that  Billy  had  never  been  captured, 
Washington  did  not  then  think  it  needful  to  deny 
having  written  these  letters;  but  when  they  were 
brought  forward  again  by  his  enemies  during  the 
last  years  of  his  Presidency,  he  was  alarmed  lest 
they  should  go  down  to  history  as  his  own.  Most 
of  Washington's  writings  which  are  preserved  show 
him  to  us  only  as  a  grave  public  character,  and  lives 
of  Washington  drawn  mainly  from  this  source  are 
apt  to  make  the  great  man  seem  unnaturally  cold, 
dignified,  remote,  and  impressive.  So  usual  has 
this  view  of  Washington  become,  that  there  is  a 
common  belief  that  he  never  laughed  aloud — a  belief 
which  there  are  many  stories  to  refute. 

Washington  had  immense  physical  courage.  In 
all  the  battles  in  which  he  fought  he  exposed  himself 
fearlessly.  His  moral  courage  was  even  greater. 
He  never  shrank  from  doing  what  he  thought  right 
because  it  was  likely  to  make  him  unpopular.  Per- 
haps Washington's  greatest  qualities  were  his  wis- 
dom and  prudence.  These  traits  were  very  im- 
portant in  the  leader  of  a  young  people  engaged  in  a 
revolutionary  struggle.  He  had  few  brilliant  mili- 
tary successes,  but  it  is  impossible  to  say  what  he 
might  not  have  done  had  he  not  been  weighed  down 
by  immense  difficulties.  His  influence  over  men  was 
great,  and  those  who  were  under  him  loved  him. 
He  was  never  swayed  by  mean  motives,  his  actions 
were  always  honorable,  and  he  was  generous  even 


I io         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

to  those  who  were  his  bitter  opponents.  Though 
he  was  a  man  of  action,  he  thought  deeply  on  many 
subjects.  "  Never,"  said  Jefferson,  "  did  nature 
and  fortune  combine  more  perfectly  to  make  a  man 
great,  and  to  place  him  in  the  same  constellation 
with  whatever  worthies  have  merited  from  man  an 
everlasting  remembrance." 


THE  MOUNT  VERNON  TRIBUTE1 

WASHINGTON 

The  Defender  of  His  Country,  The  Founder  of  Liberty, 
THE  FRIEND  OF  MAN. 

History  and  Tradition  are  Explored  in  Vain  for  a  Parallel 
to  His  Character. 

IN    THE   ANNALS    OF    MODERN    GREATNESS,    HE   STANDS    ALONE, 

And  the  Noblest  Names  of  Antiquity  Lose  Their  Lustre 
In  His  Presence.  Born  the  Benefactor  of  Mankind,  He 
United  All  The  Qualities  Necessary  to  An  Illustrious 
Career. 

NATURE   MADE   HIM    GREAT; 

He    made    himself    virtuous. 

Called  By  His  Country  To  The  Defence  of  Her  Liberties, 
He  Triumphantly  Vindicated  The  Rights  of  Humanity, 
And  on  The  Pillars  of  National  Independence  Laid  the 

1  The  author  of  this  inscription  is  not  known.  It  has 
been  transcribed  from  a  manuscript  copy  written  on  the 
back  of  a  picture-frame,  in  which  is  set  a  miniature  like- 
ness of  Washington,  and  which  hangs  in  one  of  the  rooms 
of  the  mansion  at  Mount  Vernon,  where  it  was  left  some 
time  after  Washington's  death. — H.  B.  CARRINGTON. 


LAST  DAYS  in 

Foundations  Of  A  Great  Republic.  Twice  Invested  With 
the  Supreme  Magistracy,  By  the  Unanimous  Voice  of  a 
Free  People,  He  Surpassed  In  The  Cabinet 

THE    GLORIES    OF    THE    FIELD, 

And  Voluntarily  Resigning  the  Sceptre  and  the  Sword, 
Retired  to  the  Shades  of  Private  Life.  A  Spectacle  So 
New  and  So  Sublime  Was  Contemplated  With  the  Pro- 
foundest  Admiration;  And  the  Name  of 

WASHINGTON, 

Adding   New  Lustre  to  Humanity, 

Resounded  To  The  Remotest  Regions  Of  the  Earth. 

Magnanimous  in  Youth, 

GLORIOUS  THROUGH  LIFE, 
GREAT  IN  DEATH, 

His  Highest  Ambition  the  Happiness  of  Mankind, 

His  Noblest  Victory  the  Conquest  of  Himself, 
Bequeathing  to  Posterity  the  Inheritance  of  His  Fame, 

And    Building    His    Monument    in    the    Hearts    of    His 
Countrymen, 

He  Lived  the  Ornament  Of  the  Eighteenth  Century,  and 
Died   Regretted   By   a   Mourning   World. 


THE  WORDS  OF  WASHINGTON 

BY  DANIEL   WEBSTER 

Delivered  at  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the  new 
wing  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington,  July  4,  1851 

Washington !  Methinks  I  see  his  venerable  form 
now  before  me.  He  is  dignified  and  grave ;  but  con- 
cern and  anxiety  seem  to  soften  the  lineaments  of 


112         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

his  countenance.  The  government  over  which  he 
presides  is  yet  in  the  crisis  of  experiment.  Not  free 
from  troubles  at  home,  he  sees  the  world  in  com- 
motion and  arms  all  around  him.  He  sees  that  im- 
posing foreign  powers  are  half  disposed  to  try  the 
strength  of  the  recently  established  American  Gov- 
ernment. Mighty  thoughts,  mingled  with  fears  as 
well  as  with  hopes,  are  struggling  within  him.  He 
heads  a  short  procession  over  these  then  naked 
fields;  he  crosses  yonder  stream  on  a  fallen  tree; 
he  ascends  to  the  top  of  this  eminence,  whose  orig< 
inal  oaks  of  the  forest  stand  as  thick  around  him  as 
if  the  spot  had  been  devoted  to  Druidical  worship, 
and  here  he  performs  the  appointed  duty  of  the  day. 

And  now,  if  this  vision  were  a  reality;  if  Wash- 
ington now  were  actually  amongst  us,  and  if  he 
could  draw  around  him  the  shades  of  the  great  pub- 
lic men  of  his  own  day,  patriots  and  warriors, 
orators  and  statesmen,  and  were  to  address  us  in 
their  presence,  would  he  not  say  to  us : 

"  Ye  men  of  this  generation,  I  rejoice  and  thank 
God  for  being  able  to  see  that  our  labors,  and  toils, 
and  sacrifices,  were  not  in  vain.  You  are  prosper- 
ous, you  are  happy,  you  are  grateful.  The  fire  of 
liberty  burns  brightly  and  steadily  in  your  hearts, 
while  duty  and  the  law  restrain  it  from  bursting 
forth  in  wild  and  destructive  conflagration.  Cherish 
liberty,  as  you  love  it ;  cherish  its  securities,  as  you 
wish  to  preserve  it.  Maintain  the  Constitution 
which  we  labored  so  painfully  to  establish,  and 
which  has  been  to  you  such  a  source  of  inestimable 
blessings.  Preserve  the  Union  of  the  States,  ce- 


LAST  DAYS  113 

mented  as  it  was  by  our  prayers,  our  tears,  and  our 
blood.  Be  true  to  God,  to  your  country,  and  to 
your  duty.  So  shall  the  whole  Eastern  world  fol- 
low the  morning  sun,  so  contemplate  you  as  a  na- 
tion; so  shall  all  generations  honor  you,  as  they 
honor  us ;  and  so  shall  that  Almighty  power  which 
so  graciously  protected  us,  and  which  now  pro- 
tects you,  shower  its  everlasting  blessings  upon  you 
and  your  posterity !  " 

Great  Father  of  your  Country!  We  need  your 
words;  we  feel  their  force,  as  if  you  now  uttered 
them  with  lips  of  flesh  and  blood.  Your  example 
teaches  us,  your  affectionate  addresses  teach  us, 
your  public  life  teaches  us,  your  sense  of  the  value 
of  the  blessings  of  the  Union.  Those  blessings  our 
fathers  have  tasted,  and  we  have  tasted,  and  still 
taste.  Nor  do  we  intend  that  those  who  come  after 
us  shall  be  denied  the  same  high  function.  Our 
honor,  as  well  as  our  happiness,  is  concerned.  We 
cannot,  we  dare  not,  we  will  not,  betray  our  sacred 
trust.  We  will  not  filch  from  posterity  the  treas- 
ure placed  in  our  hands  to  be  transmitted  to  other 
generations.  The  bow  that  gilds  the  clouds  in  the 
heavens,  the  pillars  that  uphold  the  firmament,  may 
disappear  and  fall  away  in  the  hour  appointed  by  the 
will  of  God;  but,  until  that  day  comes,  or  so  long 
as  our  lives  may  last,  no  ruthless  hand  shall  under- 
mine that  bright  arch  of  Union  and  Liberty  which 
spans  the  continent  from  Washington  to  California! 


VI 
TRIBUTES 


MEMORIALS  OF  WASHINGTON1 

BY    HENRY    B.    CARRINGTON 

Modern  history,  oratory,  and  poetry  are  so  replete 
with  tributes  to  the  memory  of  Washington,  that  the 
entire  progress  of  the  civilized  world  for  more  than 
a  century  has  been  shaped  by  the  influence  of  his 
life  and  precepts.  The  memorial  shaft  at  the  na- 
tional capital,  which  is  the  loftiest  of  human  struc- 
tures, and  is  inner-faced  by  typical  expressions  of 
honor  from  nearly  all  nations,  is  a  fit  type  of  his 
surmounting  merit.  The  ceremonies  which  at- 
tended the  cornerstone  consecration  and  signalized 
its  completion  are  no  less  an  honor  to  the  distin- 
guished historian  and  statesman  who  voiced  the  ac- 
clamations of  the  American  people  than  a  perpetual 
testimonial  worthy  of  the  subject  honored  by  the 
occasion  and  by  the  monument.  When  the  world 
pays  willing  tribute,  and  the  most  ambitious  mon- 
arch on  earth  would  covet  no  higher  plaudit  than 
that  he  served  his  people  as  faithfully  as  Washing- 
ton served  America,  it  is  difficult  to  fathom  the 
depths  of  memorial  sentiment  and  place  in  public 
view  those  which  are  the  most  worthy  of  study  and 
appreciative  respect.  The  national  life  itself  throbs 
through  his  transmitted  life,  and  the  aroma  of  his 

'From  the  "Patriotic  Reader."    Lippincott  Co. 
117 


ii8         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

grace  is  as  consciously  breathed  by  statesmen  and 
citizens  to-day  as  the  invisible  atmosphere  which  se- 
cures physical  vitality  and  force.  Senator  Vance 
of  North  Carolina,  thus  earnestly  commends  to  the 
youth  of  America  the  brightness  and  beauty  of  the 
great  example : 

Greater  soldiers,  more  intellectual  statesmen,  and  pro- 
founder  sages  have  doubtless  existed  in  the  history  of  the 
English  race,  perhaps  in  our  own  country,  but  not  one  who 
to  great  excellence  in  the  threefold  composition  of  man, 
the  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral,  has  added  such  exalted 
integrity,  such  unaffected  piety,  such  unsullied  purity  of 
soul,  and  such  wondrous  control  of  his  own  spirit.  He 
illustrated  and  adorned  the  civilization  of  Christianity,  and 
furnished  an  example  of  the  wisdom  and  perfection  of  its 
teachings  which  the  subtlest  arguments  of  its  enemies  can- 
not impeach.  That  one  grand,  rounded  life,  full-orbed 
with  intellectual  and  moral  glory,  is  worth,  as  the  product 
of  Christianity,  more  than  all  the  dogmas  of  all  the  teach- 
ers. The  youth  of  America  who  aspire  to  promote  their 
own  and  their  country's  welfare  should  never  cease  to 
gaze  upon  his  great  example,  or  to  remember  that  the 
brightest  gems  in  the  crown  of  his  immortality,  the  quali- 
ties which  uphold  his  fame  on  earth  and  plead  for  him  in 
heaven,  were  those  which  characterized  him  as  the  patient, 
brave,  Christian  gentleman.  In  this  respect  he  was  a  bless- 
ing to  the  whole  human  race  no  less  than  to  his  own  coun- 
trymen, to  the  many  millions  who  annually  celebrate  the 
day  of  his  birth. 

Such  sentiments  fitly  illustrate  the  controlling  ele- 
ment of  character  which  made  the  conduct  of  Wash- 
ington so  peerless  in  the  field  and  in  the  chair  of 
state.  His  first  utterances  upon  assuming  command 
of  the  American  army  before  Boston,  on  the  2d  of 


TRIBUTES  119 

July,  1775,  were  a  rebuke  of  religious  bigotry  and 
an  impressive  protest  against  gaming,  swearing,  and 
all  immoral  practices,  which  might  forfeit  divine  aid 
in  the  great  struggle  for  national  independence. 
Succeeding  orders,  preparatory  to  the  battle  of  Long 
Island,  in  August,  1776,  breathe  the  same  spirit, — 
that  which  transfused  all  his  activities,  as  with 
celestial  fire,  until  he  surrendered  his  commission 
with  a  devout  and  public  recognition  of  Almighty 
God  as  the  author  of  his  success. 


FROM  THE  "COMMEMORATION  ODE" 

World's  Columbian  Exposition,   Chicago,   October 
21,  1892 

BY  HARRIET  MONROE 

WASHINGTON 

When  dreaming  kings,  at  odds  with  swift-paced 

time, 

Would  strike  that  banner  down, 
A  nobler  knight  than  ever  writ  or  rhyme 
With  fame's  bright  wreath  did  crown 
Through  armed  hosts  bore  it  till  it  floated  high 
Beyond  the  clouds,  a  light  that  cannot  die ! 
Ah,  hero  of  our  younger  race ! 

Great  builder  of  a  temple  new! 
Ruler,  who  sought  no  lordly  place ! 

Warrior,  who  sheathed  the  sword  he  drew ! 


120         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Lover  of  men,  who  saw  afar 
A  world  unmarred  by  want  or  war, 
Who  knew  the  path,  and  yet  forbore 
To  tread,  till  all  men  should  implore; 
Who  saw  the  light,  and  led  the  way 
Where  the  gray  world  might  greet  the  day ; 
Father  and  leader,  prophet  sure, 
Whose  will  in  vast  works  shall  endure, 
How  shall  we  praise  him  on  this  day  of  days, 
Great  son  of  fame  who  has  no  need  of  praise? 

How  shall  we  praise  him  ?    Open  wide  the  doors 
Of  the  fair  temple  whose  broad  base  he  laid. 
Through  its  white  halls  a  shadowy  cavalcade 
Of  heroes  moves  o'er  unresounding  floors — 
Men  whose  brawned  arms  upraised  these  columns 

high, 

And  reared  the  towers  that  vanish  in  the  sky, — 
The  strong  who,  having  wrought,  can  never  die. 


WASHINGTON'S  STATUE 

BY  HENRY  THEODORE  TUCKERMAN 

The  quarry  whence  thy  form  majestic  sprung 

Has  peopled  earth  with  grace, 
Heroes  and  gods  that  elder  bards  have  sung, 

A  bright  and  peerless  race ; 
But  from  its  sleeping  veins  ne'er  rose  before 

A  shape  of  loftier  name 
Than  his,  who  Glory's  wreath  with  meekness  wore, 

The  noblest  son  of  Fame. 


TRIBUTES  121 

Sheathed  is  the  sword  that  Passion  never  stained; 

His  gaze  around  is  cast, 
As  if  the  joys  of  Freedom,  newly  gained, 

Before  his  vision  passed; 
As  if  a  nation's  shout  of  love  and  pride 

With  music  filled  the  air, 
And  his  calm  soul  was  lifted  on  the  tide 

Of  deep  and  grateful  prayer; 
As  if  the  crystal  mirror  of  his  life 

To  fancy  sweetly  came, 
With  scenes  of  patient  toil  and  noble  strife, 

Undimmed  by  doubt  or  shame; 
As  if  the  lofty  purpose  of  his  soul 

Expression  would  betray — 
The  high  resolve  Ambition  to  control, 

And  thrust  her  crown  away ! 
O,  it  was  well  in  marble  firm  and  white 

To  carve  our  hero's  form, 
Whose  angel  guidance  was  our  strength  in  fight, 

Our  star  amid  the  storm ! 
Whose  matchless  truth  has  made  his  name  divine 

And  human  freedom  sure, 
His  country  great,  his  tomb  earth's  dearest  shrine; 

While  man  and  time  endure ! 
And  it  is  well  to  place  his  image  there 

Upon  the  soil  he  blest : 
Let  meaner  spirits,  who  its  councils  share, 

Revere  that  silent  guest ! 
Let  us  go  up  with  high  and  sacred  love 

To  look  on  his  pure  brow, 
And  as,  with  solemn  grace,  he  points  above, 

Renew  the  patriot's  vow ! 


122         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 


TRIBUTES 

Extract  from  an  address  by  President  Cary  of  the 
Union  League  Club,  at  the  celebration  of  Wash- 
ington's Birthday  at  the  Auditorium,  Chicago, 
February  22,  ipoo 

It  is  needless  to  dispute  with  others  as  to  Wash- 
ington's rank  in  minor  things.  We  know  that  for 
us  and  for  our  country  his  is  the  greatest  name  that 
lives ;  that  in  the  grand  struggle  and  march  for  free- 
dom he  was  humanity's  greatest  leader,  and  that 
through  us  as  a  nation  he  gave  to  the  world  its 
chief est  example  of  republican  self-government. 
And  now  that  his  greatness  is  acknowledged  and  his 
praises  sung  the  world  round,  our  hearts  swell  with 
pride  and  gratitude  that  he  is  ours ;  our  countryman ; 
our  great  American;  our  Washington.  Not  the 
safe  and  invincible  general  merely,  not  the  wise  first 
President,  but  George  Washington,  the  sublime 
personality,  greatest  seen  when  all  props  and 
scaffoldings  of  rank  and  station  are  torn  away. 


From  Green's  "  History  of  the  English  People  ": 

No  nobler  figure  ever  stood  in  the  forefront  of  a 
nation's  life.  Washington  was  grave  and  courteous 
in  address ;  his  manners  were  simple  and  unpretend- 
ing ;  his  silence  and  the  serene  calmness  of  his  tem- 
per spoke  of  a  perfect  self-mastery;  but  little  there 


TRIBUTES  123 

was  in  his  outer  bearing  to  reveal  the  grandeur  of 
soul  which  lifts  his  figure  with  all  the  simple  majesty 
of  an  ancient  statue,  out  of  the  smaller  passions,  the 
meaner  impulses  of  the  world  around  him. 

It  was  only  as  the  weary  fight  went  on  that  the 
colonists  learned,  little  by  little,  the  greatness  of 
their  leader — his  clear  judgment,  his  calmness  in  the 
hour  of  danger  or  defeat;  the  patience  with  which 
he  waited,  the  quickness  and  hardness  with  which 
he  struck,  the  lofty  and  serene  sense  of  duty  that 
never  swerved  from  its  task  through  resentment  or 
jealousy,  that  never,  through  war  or  peace,  felt  the 
touch  of  a  meaner  ambition ;  that  knew  no  aim  save 
that  of  guarding  the  freedom  of  his  fellow-country- 
men ;  and  no  personal  longing  save  that  of  returning 
to  his  own  fireside  when  their  freedom  was  secured. 

It  was  almost  unconsciously  that  men  learned  to 
cling  to  Washington  with  a  trust  and  faith  such 
as  few  other  men  have  won,  and  to  regard  him 
with  reverence  which  still  hushes  us  in  presence  of 
his  memory. 


Washington's  is  the  mightiest  name  of  earth — 
long  since  mightiest  in  the  cause  of  civil  liberty ;  still 
mightiest  in  moral  reformation.  On  that  name  no 
eulogy  is  expected.  It  cannot  be.  To  add  bright- 
ness to  the  sun,  or  glory  to  the  name  of  Washing- 
ton, is  alike  impossible.  Let  none  attempt  it.  In 
solemn  awe  pronounce  the  name,  and  in  its  naked 
deathless  splendor  leave  it  shining  on. 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 


I24         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Washington  cannot  be  stripped  of  any  part  of 
his  credit  for  patriotism,  wisdom,  and  courage;  for 
the  union  of  enterprise  with  prudence ;  for  integrity 
and  truthfulness;  for  simply  dignity  of  character; 
for  tact  and  forbearance  in  dealing  with  men; 
above  all  for  serene  fortitude  in  the  darkest  hour 
of  his  cause,  and  under  trials  from  the  perversity, 
insubordination,  jealousy,  and  perfidy  of  those 
around  him,  severer  than  any  defeat. 

GOLDWIN  SMITH. 


The  life  of  our  Washington  cannot  suffer  by  a 
comparison  with  those  of  other  countries  who  have 
been  most  celebrated  and  exalted  by  fame.  The  at- 
tributes and  decorations  of  royalty  could  have  only 
served  to  eclipse  the  majesty  of  those  virtues  which 
made  him,  from  being  a  modest  citizen,  a  more  re- 
splendent luminary. 

Malice  could  never  blast  his  honor,  and  envy  made 
him  a  single  exception  to  her  universal  rule.  For 
himself  he  had  lived  enough  to  life  and  to  glory. 
For  his  fellow-citizens,  if  their  prayers  could  have 
been  answered,  he  would  have  been  immortal.  His 
example  is  complete,  and  it  will  teach  wisdom  and 
virtue  to  magistrates,  citizens,  and  men,  not  only  in 
the  present  age,  but  in  future  generations,  as  long 
as  our  history  shall  be  read. 

JOHN  ADAMS. 

His  character,  though  regular  and  uniform,  pos- 
sessed none  of  the  littleness  which  may  sometimes 


TRIBUTES  125 

belong  to  these  descriptions  of  men.  It  formed  a 
majestic  pile,  the  effect  of  which  was  not  inspired, 
but  improved,  by  order  and  symmetry.  There  was 
nothing  in  it  to  dazzle  by  wildness,  and  surprise  by 
eccentricity.  It  was  of  a  higher  species  of  moral 
beauty.  It  contained  everything  great  and  elevated, 
but  it  had  no  false  or  trivial  ornament.  It  was  not 
the  model  cried  up  by  fashion  and  circumstance :  its 
excellence  was  adapted  to  the  true  and  just  moral 
taste,  incapable  of  change  from  the  varying  acci- 
dents of  manners,  of  opinions,  and  times.  General 
Washington  is  not  the  idol  of  a  day,  but  the  hero  of 
ages. 

ANONYMOUS. 


Washington  stands  alone  and  unapproachable  like 
a  snow  peak  rising  above  its  fellows  into  the  clear 
air  of  morning,  with  a  dignity,  constancy,  and 
purity  which  have  made  him  the  ideal  type  of  civic 
virtue  to  succeeding  generations. 

JAMES  BRYCE. 

Pale  is  the  February  sky,  \-S" 

And  brief  the  midday's  sunny  hours ; 

The  wind-swept  forest  seems  to  sigh 
For  the  sweet  time  of  leaves  and  flowers. 

Yet  has  no  month  a  prouder  day, 
Not  even  when  the  Summer  broods 

O'er  meadows  in  their  fresh  array, 
Or  Autumn  tints  the  glowing  woods. 


126         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

For  this  chill  season  now  again 

Brings,  in  its  annual  round,  the  morn 

When,  greatest  of  the  sons  of  men, 
Our  glorious  Washington  was  born ! 


Amid  the  wreck  of  thrones  shall  live 
Unmarred,  undimmed,  our  hero's  fame, 

And  years  succeeding  years  shall  give 
Increase  of  honors  to  his  name. 

WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT. 


Washington,  the  warrior  and  legislator !  In  war 
contending,  by  the  wager  of  battle,  for  the  independ- 
ence of  his  country,  and  for  the  freedom  of  the 
human  race;  ever  manifesting  amidst  its  horrors,  by 
precept  and  example,  his  reverence  for  the  laws  of 
peace  and  the  tenderest  sympathies  of  humanity :  in 
peace  soothing  the  ferocious  spirit  of  discord  among 
his  countrymen  into  harmony  and  union ;  and  giving 
to  that  very  sword,  now  presented  to  his  country,  a 
charm  more  potent  than  that  attributed  in  ancient 
times  to  the  lyre  of  Orpheus. 

JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


George  Washington  may  justly  be  pronounced 
one  of  the  greatest  men  whom  the  world  has  pro- 
duced. Greater  soldiers,  more  intellectual  states- 
men, and  profounder  sages  have  doubtlessly  existed 
in  the  history  of  the  English  race — perhaps  in  our 
own  country — but  no  one  who  to  great  excellence  in 


TRIBUTES  127 

each  of  these  fields  has  added  such  exalted  integrity, 
such  unaffected  piety,  such  unsullied  purity  of  soul, 
and  such  wondrous  control  of  his  own  spirit.  That 
one  grand  rounded  life,  full-orbed  with  intellectual 
and  moral  glory,  is  worth,  as  the  product  of  Chris- 
tianity, more  than  all  the  dogmas  of  all  the  teachers. 
He  was  a  blessing  to  the  whole  human  race,  no  less 
than  to  his  own  countrymen — to  the  many  millions 
who  celebrate  the  day  of  his  birth. 

ZEBULON  B.  VANCE. 


First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  first  in  the  hearts  of 
his  countrymen,  he  was  second  to  none  in  the  hum- 
ble and  endearing  scenes  of  private  life;  pious,  just, 
humane,  temperate,  and  sincere,  uniform,  dignified, 
and  commanding,  his  example  was  as  edifying  to  all 
around  him,  as  were  the  effects  of  that  example 
lasting.  HENRY  LEE. 


Happy  was  it  for  America,  happy  for  the  world, 
that  a  great  name,  a  guardian  genius,  presided  over 
her  destinies  in  war.  The  hero  of  America  was  the 
conqueror  only  of  his  country's  foes,  and  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen.  To  the  one  he  was  a  terror,  and 
in  the  other  he  gained  an  ascendency,  supreme,  un- 
rivaled, the  triumph  of  admiring  gratitude,  the  re- 
ward of  a  nation's  love.  JARED  SPARKS. 


The  sword  of  Washington !     The  staff  of  Frank- 
lin!    Oh    sir,    what    associations    are    linked    in 


128         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

adamant  with  these  names!  Washington,  whose 
sword,  as  my  friend  has  said,  was  never  drawn  but 
in  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  never  sheathed  when 
wielded  in  his  country's  cause.  Franklin,  the  philo- 
sopher of  the  thunderbolt,  the  printing-press,  and 
the  plowshare.  JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS. 


Others  of  our  great  men  have  been  appreciated, — 
many  admired  by  all.  But  him  we  love.  Him  we 
all  love.  About  and  around  him  we  call  up  no  dis- 
sentient and  discordant  and  dissatisfied  elements,  no 
sectional  prejudice  nor  bias,  no  party,  no  creed,  no 
dogma  of  politics.  None  of  these  shall  assail  him. 
When  the  storm  of  battle  blows  darkest  and  rages 
highest,  the  memory  of  Washington  shall  nerve 
every  American  arm  and  cheer  every  American 
heart.  It  shall  relume  that  Promethean  fire,  that 
sublime  flame  of  patriotism,  that  devoted  love  of 
country,  which  his  words  have  commended,  which 
his  example  has  consecrated. 

RUFUS  CHOATE. 


Where  may  the  wearied  eyes  repose 

When  gazing  on  the  great, 
Where  neither  guilty  glory  glows 

Nor  despicable  state? 
Yes, — one,  the  first,  the  last,  the  best, 
The  Cincinnatus  of  the  West, 

Whom  envy  dared  not  hate, 
Bequeathed  the  name  of  Washington 
To  make  men  blush  there  was  but  one. 

LORD  BYRON, 


TRIBUTES  129 

From  "  Washington's  Vow,"  by  John  Greenleaf 
IVhittier,  read  at  the  dedication  of  the  Washing- 
ton Arch,  at  New  York  City,  1889 

How  felt  the  land  in  every  part 
The  strong  throb  of  a  nation's  heart? 
As  its  great  leader  gave,  with  reverent  awe, 
His  pledge  to  Union,  Liberty,  and  Law! 

That  pledge  the  heavens  above  him  heard, 
That  vow  the  sleep  of  centuries  stirred. 
In  world-wide  wonder  listening  peoples  bent 
Their  gaze  on  Freedom's  great  experiment. 


Thank  God!  the  people's  choice  was  just! 

The  one  man  equal  to  his  trust. 
Wise  without  lore,  and  without  weakness  good, 
Calm  in  the  strength  of  flawless  rectitude. 


Our  first  and  Best — his  ashes  lie 
Beneath  his  own  Virginia  sky. 
Forgive,  forget,  oh !  true  and  just  and  brave, 
The  storm  that  swept  above  thy  sacred  grave. 


Then  let  the  sovereign  millions  where 
Our  banner  floats  in  sun  and  air, 
From  the  warm  palm-lands  to  Alaska's  cold, 
Repeat  with  us  the  pledge,  a  century  old! 


130         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Let  a  man  fasten  himself  to  some  great  idea,  some 
large  truth,  some  noble  cause,  even  in  the  affairs  of 
this  world,  and  it  will  send  him  ^rward  with  energy, 
with  steadfastness,  with  confidence.  This  is  what 
Emerson  meant  when  he  said :  "  Hitch  your  wagon 
to  a  star."  These  are  the  potent,  the  commanding, 
the  enduring  men, — in  our  own  history,  men  like 
Washington  and  Lincoln.  They  may  fail,  they  may 
be  defeated,  they  may  perish ;  but  onward  moves  the 
cause,  and  their  souls  go  marching  on  with  it,  for 
they  are  part  of  it,  they  have  believed  in  it. 

HENRY  VAN  DYKE. 


O  name  forever  to  thy  country  dear! 

Still  wreath'd  with  pride,  "still  uttered  with  a  tear!" 

Thou  that  could'st  rouse  a  nation's  host  to  arms, 

Could'st  calm  the  spreading  tumult  of  alarms, 

Of  civil  discord,  awe  the  threatening  force 

And  check  even  Anarchy's  licentious  course! 

Long  as  exalted  worth  commands  applause, 

Long  as  the  virtuous  bow  to  virtue's  laws, 

Long  as  thy  reverence  and  honor  join'd, 

Long  as  the  hero's  glory  warms  the  mind, 

Long  as  the  flame  of  gratitude  shall  burn, 

Or  human  tears  bedew  the  patriot's  urn, 

Thy  sound  shall  dwell  on  each  Columbian  tongue 

And  live  lamented  in  elegiac  song ! 

Till  some  bold  bard,  inspired  with  Delphic  rage! 

Shall  with  thy  lusters  fire  his  epic  page ! 

In  Fate's  vast  chronicle  of  future  time, 
The  mystic  mirror  of  events  sublime 


TRIBUTES  131 

Where  deeds  of  virtue  gild  each  pregnant  page 
And  some  grand  epoch  makes  each  coming  age, 
Where  germs  of  future  history  strike  the  eye 
And  empires'  rise  and  fall  in  embryo  lie, 
Though  statesmen,  heroes,  sages,  chiefs  abound 
Yet  none  of  worth  like  Washington's  are  found! 


Rear  to  his  name  a  monument  sublime ! 

Bid  art  and  genius  all  their  powers  bestow, 

And  let  the  pile  with  life  and  grandeur  glow. 

High  on  the  top  let  Fame  with  trumpet's  sound, 

Announce  his  god-like  deeds  to  worlds  around! 

Let  Pallas  lead  her  hero  to  the  field, 

In  Wisdom's  train,  and  cover  with  her  shield. 

A  sword  present  to  dazzle  from  afar 

And    flash   bright    terrors    through    the    ranks    of 

war. 

With  port  august  let  oak-wreath'd  Freedom  stand 
And  hail  him  father  of  the  chosen  land ; 
With  laurels  deck  him,  with  due  honors  greet, 
And  crowns  and  scepters  place  beneath  his  feet ; 
Let  Peace,  her  olive  blooming  like  the  morn, 
And  kindred  Plenty  with  her  teeming  horn, 
With  Commerce,  child,  and  regent  of  the  main, 
While  Arts  and  Agriculture  join  the  train, 
Rear  a  sad  altar,  bend  around  his  urn, 
And  to  their  guardian,  grateful  incense  burn ! 
Let  History  calm,  in  thoughtful  mood  reclin'd, 
Record  his  actions  to  enrich  mankind, 
And  Poesy  divine  his  deeds  rehearse 
In  all  the  energy  of  epic  verse ! 


132         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

To  future  ages  there  let  Mercy  own 
He  never  from  her  bosom  forc'd  a  groan ; 
Here  let  a  statesman,  there  a  reverend  sage 
To  mark  and  emulate  his  steps  engage, 
Columbia  widow'd,  count  his  virtues  o'er, 
Around  his  tomb  her  pearly  sorrows  pour, 
And  mild  Religion  of  celestial  mien 
Point  to  her  patron's  place,  in  realms  unseen ! 
Then  stamp  in  gold  the  monument  above 
The  mournful  tribute  of  a  nation's  love! 
But  not  alone  in  scenes  where  glory  fir'd, 
He  mov'd,  no  less,  in  civic  walks  admir'd ! 
Though  long  a  warrior,  choice  of  human  blood, 
As  Brutus  noble,  and  as  Titus  good ! 
To  all  that  formed  the  hero  of  the  age, 
He  joined  the  patriot  and  the  peaceful  sage, 
The  statesman  powerful  and  the  ruler  just, 
No  less  illustrious  than  the  chief  august; 
And  to  condense  his  characters  in  one, 
The  god-like  Father  of  his  Country  shone !  " 
From  an  old  Magazine. 


Hail,  brightest  banner  that  floats  on  the  gale, 
Flag  of  the  country  of  Washington,  hail ! 
Red  are  thy  stripes  with  the  blood  of  the  brave; 
Bright  are  thy  stars  as  the  sun  on  the  wave; 
Wrapt  in  thy  folds  are  the  hopes  of  the  free. 
Banner  of  Washington! — blessings  on  thee! 

Traitors  shall  perish  and  treason  shall  fail ; 
Kingdoms  and  thrones  in  thy  glory  grow  pale ! 


TRIBUTES  133 

Thou  shalt  live  on,  and  thy  people  shall  own 
Loyalty's  sweet,  when  each  heart  is  thy  throne ; 
Union  and  Freedom  thine  heritage  be. 
Country  of  Washington! — blessings  on  thee! 
WILLIAM  S.  ROBINSON. 


Point  of  that  pyramid  whose  solid  base 
Rests  firmly  founded  on  a  nation's  trust, 

Which,  while  the  gorgeous  palace  sinks  in  dust, 
Shall  stand  sublime,  and  fill  its  ample  space. 

Elected  chief  of  freemen!  greater  far 

Than  kings  whose  glittering  parts  are  fixed  by 
birth — 

Nam'd  by  thy  country's  voice  for  long  try'd  worth, 
Her  crown  in  peace,  as  once  her  shield  in  war! 

Deign,  Washington,  to  hear  a  British  lyre, 

That  ardent  greets  thee  with  applausive  lays, 
And  to  the  patriot  hero  homage  pays. 

O,  would  the  muse  immortal  strains  inspire, 

That  high  beyond  all  Greek  and  Roman  fame, 
Might  soar  to  times  unborn,  thy  purer,  nobler  name ! 

DOCTOR  AIKIN. 

Had  he,  a  mortal,  the  failings  attached  to  man  ? — 
Was  he  the  slave  of  avarice?  No.  Wealth  was  an 
object  too  mean  for  his  regard,  and  yet  economy 
presided  over  his  domestic  concerns;  for  his  mind 
was  too  lofty  to  brook  dependence.  Was  he  am- 


134         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

bitious?  No.  His  spirit  soared  beyond  ambition's 
reach.  He  saw  a  crown  high  above  all  human 
grandeur.  He  sought,  he  gained,  and  wore  that 
crown.  But  he  had  indeed  one  frailty — the  weak- 
ness of  great  minds.  He  was  fond  of  fame,  and  had 
reared  a  colossal  reputation.  It  stood  on  the  rock  of 
his  virtue.  This  was  dear  to  his  heart.  There  was 
but  one  thing  dearer.  He  loved  glory,  but  still  more 
he  loved  his  country.  That  was  the  master  passion, 
and  with  resistless  might  it  ruled  his  every  thought 
and  word  and  deed. 

GOUVERNEUR   MORRIS. 


Washington !  Father  and  deliverer  of  his  coun- 
try! What  sweetness  dwells  in  his  name — a  name 
sounded  by  million-tongued  fame  through  her 
golden  trumpet  into  distant  worlds.  The  sooty 
African  that  traverses  Niger's  sandy  waste — the 
Algerian  desperate  in  fight — the  half-lived  Lap- 
lander— the  Arabian,  swift  as  the  wind — the 
Scythian — the  inoffensive  Brahmin, — have  all  heard 
it,  and  when  mentioned,  revere  it. 

WILLIAM  CLARK  FRAZER. 


Three  times  Washington's  character  saved  the 
country ;  once  by  keeping  up  the  courage  of  the  na- 
tion till  the  Revolutionary  War  was  ended ;  then,  by 
uniting  the  nation  in  the  acceptance  of  the  Federal 
Constitution ;  thirdly,  by  saving  it  from  being  swept 
away  into  anarchy  and  civil  war  during  the  immense 


TRIBUTES  135 

excitement  of  the  French  Revolution.  Such  was 
the  gift  of  Washington,  a  gift  of  God  to  the  nation, 
as  far  beyond  any  other  of  God's  gifts  as  virtue  is 
more  than  genius,  as  character  is  more  than  intellect, 
as  wise  conduct  is  better  than  outward  prosperity. 
JAMES  FREEMAN  CLARKE. 


Patriots  of  America — and  military  officers  of 
every  name,  view  the  great  example  that  is  set  be- 
fore you.  Emulate  the  virtues  of  Washington,  and 
in  due  time  your  heads  will  also  be  adorned  with 
the  wreath  of  honor.  Here  you  learn  what  is  true 
and  unfading  glory.  You  will  see  that  it  is  not  the 
man  who  is  led  on  by  the  blind  impulse  of  ambition ; 
who  rushes  into  the  midst  of  embattled  hosts,  merely 
to  show  his  contempt  of  death ;  or  who  wastes  fair 
cities  or  depopulates  rich  provinces, — to  spread  far 
the  terrors  of  his  name — who  is  admired  and  praised 
as  the  true  hero  and  friend  of  mankind; — but  the 
man,  who,  in  obedience  to  the  public  voice,  appears 
in  arms  for  the  salvation  of  his  country,  shuns  no 
perils  in  a  just  cause,  endeavors  to  alleviate  instead 
of  increase  the  calamities  of  war,  and  whose  aim  is 
to  strengthen  and  adorn  the  temple  of  liberty,  as 
resting  on  the  immovable  basis  of  virtue  and 
religion.  The  voice  of  justice  and  the  voice  of  suf- 
fering humanity  forbid  us  to  bestow  the  palm  of 
true  valor  on  the  mad  exploits  of  the  destroyers  of 
mankind. 

Washington's  delight  was  to  save,  not  to  destroy. 
His  greatest  glory  is  that  with  small  armies  and 


i36         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

the  loss  of  few  lives — compared  with  the  wastes  of 
other  wars — he  made  his  country  free  and  happy. 

ROBERT  DAVIDSON. 


Brave  without  temerity,  laborious  without  ambi- 
tion, generous  without  prodigality,  noble  without 
pride,  virtuous  without  severity — Washington  seems 
always  to  have  confined  himself  within  those  limits 
where  the  virtues,  by  clothing  themselves  in  more 
lively  but  more  changeable  and  doubtful  colors,  may 
be  mistaken  for  faults.  Inspiring  respect,  he  in- 
spires confidence,  and  his  smile  is  always  the  smile 
of  benevolence. 

MARQUIS  CHASTELLEUX. 


God  has  given  this  nation  many  precious  gifts; 
but  the  chief  gift  of  all,  the  one,  we  may  say,  which 
has  added  something  to  every  other  one,  is  the  gift 
of  this  great  soldier,  this  great  statesman,  this  great 
and  good  man,  this  greatest  of  all  Americans,  past, 
present — past,  if  not  to  come.  Our  heritage  from 
him  is  illustrious  above  all  others. 

ANONYMOUS. 


Great  without  pomp,  without  ambition  brave, 
Proud,  not  to  conquer  fellow-men,  but  save; 
Friend  to  the  weak,  a  foe  to  none  but  those 
Who  plan  their  greatness  on  their  brethrens'  woes ; 
Aw'd  by  no  titles — undefil'd  by  lust — 
Free  without  faction — obstinately  just; 
Warm'd  by  religion's  sacred,  genuine  ray, 
That  points  to  future  bliss  the  unerring  way; 


TRIBUTES  137 

Yet  ne'er  control'd  by  superstition's  laws, 
That  worst  of  tyrants  in  the  noblest  cause. 

— From  a  London  Newspaper. 


Extract  from  a  translation  of  a  Dutch  Ode  to  Wash- 
ington. Dr.  O'Calla  has  made  a  literal  translation; 
Alfred  B.  Street,  of  Albany,  the  poetical  translation. 

No  lofty  monument  thy  greatness  needs  ; 

The  freedom  which  America  from  thee 
Received,  and  happiness  of  thy  great  deeds 

The  everlasting  monument  shall  be. 

Thy  proud  foot  trampled  on  the  British  chain; 

But  O !  beware  lest  some  false  foreign  power 
Rivet  his  fetters  on  thy  land  again, 

For  despots  smile  while  waiting  for  their  hour. 

How  deeply  touched,  Humanity !  your  soul, 
When  you  beheld  the  grateful  tears  that  rained 

Down  a  glad  Nation's  cheek,  as  Freedom's  goal 
Was  by  that  Nation's  might  in  triumph  gained. 

O,  Fatherland,  whoever  loves  thy  fame, 

Sighing  shall  mourn  thy  glory  lost,  when  won ; 

Freedom,  when  leaving  thee,  lit  up  her  flame 
Within  the  patriot  heart  of  Washington. 

When  Time  shall  sink  in  everlasting  gloom, 

And  Death  with  Time  shall  cease  for  evermore ; 

When  the  dead  burst  the  cerements  of  the  tomb, 
As  the  last  trumpet  breaks  in  thunder  o'er; 


138         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Then  as  it  feels  its  pulses  once  more  free, 
Let  every  heart  Columbia  claims  as  son 

Beat  first  for  God,  but  let  its  next  throb  be 
For  the  eternal  bliss  of  Washington. 


The  character  of  Washington!  Who  can  de- 
lineate it  worthily?  Modest,  disinterested,  gener- 
ous, just,  of  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart,  self- 
denying  and  self-sacrificing,  seeking  nothing  for 
himself,  declining  all  remuneration  beyond  the  reim- 
bursement of  his  outlays,  scrupulous  to  a  farthing 
in  keeping  his  accounts,  of  spotless  integrity,  scorn- 
ing gifts,  charitable  to  the  needy,  forgiving  injuries 
and  injustices,  brave,  fearless,  heroic,  with  a  pru- 
dence ever  governing  his  impulses,  a  wisdom  ever 
guiding  his  valor,  true  to  his  friends,  true  to  his 
country,  true  to  himself,  fearing  God,  no  stranger 
to  private  devotion  or  public  worship,  but  ever 
recognizing  a  divine  aid  and  direction  in  all  that  he 
accomplished.  His  magnetism  was  that  of  merit, 
superior,  surpassing  merit ;  the  merit  of  spotless  in- 
tegrity, of  recognized  ability,  and  of  unwearied  will- 
ingness to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the  service  of  his 
country. 

ROBERT  C.  WINTHROP. 


One  of  the  best  of  modern  Americans,  James  Rus- 
sell Lowell,  who  was  born  on  the  same  day  of  the 
month  as  Washington,  February  22d,  1819,  wrote 
shortly  before  his  death,  to  a  schoolgirl,  whose  class 
proposed  noticing  his  own  birthday :  "  Whatever  else 


TRIBUTES  139 

you  do  on  the  twenty-second  of  February,  recollect, 
first  of  all,  that  on  that  day  a  really  great  man  was 
born,  and  do  not  fail  to  warm  your  hearts  with  the 
memory  of  his  service,  and  to  brace  your  minds  with 
the  contemplation  of  his  character.  The  rest  of  us 
must  wait  uncovered  till  he  be  served." 

ELBRIDGE  S.  BROOKS. 


The  fame  of  Washington  stands  apart  from  every 
other  in  history,  shining  with  a  truer  luster  and  a 
more  benignant  glory.  With  us  his  memory  re- 
mains a  national  property,  where  all  sympathies, 
throughout  our  widely  extended  and  diversified  em- 
pire meet  in  unison.  Under  all  dissensions  and 
amid  all  the  storms  of  party,  his  precepts  and  ex- 
ample speak  to  us  from  the  grave  with  a  paternal 
appeal;  and  his  name — by  all  revered — forms  a 
universal  brotherhood,  a  watchword  of  our  Union. 

IRVING  AND  FISKE. 


The  soul  of  Washington  was  one  of  the  grandest 
of  all  ages  that  takes  its  equal  rank  with  Greek  and 
Roman  and  Hebrew  names  of  renown  for  humane 
and  prime  worth,  names  that  seem  written  not  in 
our  poor  records,  but  on  the  sky's  arch — names  in 
the  broad  sunshine  of  whose  moral  glory,  spreading 
through  the  world,  all  the  little  fires  which  men 
have  made  with  the  kindling  of  words  from  abstract 
conceptions, — go  out.  For  however  otherwise  a 
man  may  be  distinguished — unless  there  be  in  him  a 
spirit  of  love,  devotion,  and  self-sacrifice,  we  feel 


i4o         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

he  lacks  the  very  pith  and  beauty  of  manhood ;  and 
though  he  may  be  a  great  performer  with  his  pen  as 
one  plays  well  on  a  musical  instrument,  a  Great  Be- 
ing he  is  not. 

Christian  Examiners 


It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  historian  and  the  sage 
of  all  nations  to  let  no  occasion  pass  of  com- 
memorating this  illustrious  man ;  and  until  time  shall 
be  no  more,  will  a  test  of  the  progress  which  our 
race  has  made  in  wisdom  and  virtue,  be  derived 
from  the  veneration  paid  to  the  immortal  name  of 
Washington. 

LORD  BROUGHAM. 

The  character  of  Washington  may  want  some  of 
those  poetical  elements,  but  it  possessed  fewer  in- 
equalities and  a  rarer  union  of  virtues  than  perhaps 
ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  any  other  man.  Prudence, 
firmness,  sagacity,  moderation,  an  overruling  judg- 
ment, an  immovable  justice,  courage  that  never 
faltered,  patience  that  never  wearied,  truth  that 
disdained  all  artifice,  magnanimity  without  alloy. 
It  seems  as  if  Providence  had  endowed  him  in  a 
pre-eminent  degree  with  the  qualities  requisite  to 
fit  him  for  the  high  destiny  he  was  called  upon  to 
fulfill. 

IRVING  AND  FISKE. 


TRIBUTES  141 

WASHINGTON'S  NAME  IN  THE  HALL  OF 
FAME 

BY    MARGARET   E.    SANGSTER 

Republics  are  ungrateful,  but  ours,  its  best-loved 

son 
Still  keeps  in  memory  green,  and  wreathes  the  name 

of  Washington. 
As  year  by  year  returns   the   day   that   saw   the 

patriot's  birth, 
With  boom  of  gun  and  beat  of  drum  and  peals  of 

joy  and  mirth, 
And  songs  of  children  in  the  streets  and  march  of 

men-at-arms, 
We  honor  pay  to  him  who  stood  serene  'mid  war's 

alarms ; 
And  with  his  ragged  volunteers  long  kept  the  foe  af 

bay, 
And  bore  the  flag  to  victory  in  many  a  battle's  day. 

We  were  a  little  nation  then;  so  mighty  have  we 

grown 
That  scarce  would  Washington  believe  to-day  we 

were  his  own. 
With  ships  that  sail  on  every  sea,  and  sons  in  every 

port, 
And  harvest-fields  to  feed  the  world,  wherever  food 

is  short, 
And  if  at  council-board  our  chiefs  are  now  discreet 

and  wise, 
And  if  to  great  estate  and  high,  our  farmers'  lads 

may  rise, 


142         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

We  owe  a  debt  to  him  who  set  the  fashion  of  our 

fame, 
And  never  more  may  we  forget  our  loftiest  hero's 

name. 

Great  knightly  soul  who  came  in  time  to  serve  his 
country's  need, 

To  serve  her  with  the  timely  word  and  with  the 
valiant  deed, 

Along  the  ages  brightening  as  endless  cycles  run 

Undimmed  and  gaining  luster  in  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury's sun, 

First  in  our  Hall  of  Fame  we  write  the  name  all 
folk  may  ken,  - 

As  first  in  war,  and  first  in  peace,  first  with  his 
countrymen.  . 


ESTIMATES  OF  WASHINGTON 

George  Washington,  the  brave,  the  wise,  the  good. 
Supreme  in  war,  in  council,  and  in  peace.  Wash- 
ington, valiant,  without  ambition;  discreet,  without 
fear;  confident,  without  presumption. 

DR.  ANDREW  LEE. 


More  than  any  other  individual,  and  as  much  as 
to  one  individual  was  possible,  has  he  contributed 
to  found  this,  our  wide  spreading  empire,  and  to 
give  to  the  Western  World  independence  and  free- 
dom. CHIEF  JUSTICE  MARSHALL. 


TRIBUTES  143 

Let  him  who  looks  for  a  monument  to  Washing- 
ton look  around  the  United  States.  Your  freedom, 
your  independence,  your  national  power,  your  pros- 
perity, and  your  prodigious  growth  are  a  monument 
to  him. 

KOSSUTH. 


More  than  all,  and  above  all,  Washington  was 
master  of  himself.  If  there  be  one  quality  more 
than  another  in  his  character  which  may  exercise  a 
useful  control  over  the  men  of  the  present  hour,  it 
is  the  total  disregard  of  self  when  in  the  most  ele- 
vated positions  for  influence  and  example. 

CHARLES  FRANCIS  ADAMS. 


WASHINGTON'S  RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER 

BY  WILLIAM  M'KINLEY 
In  an  Address,  February  22,  1898 

Though  Washington's  exalted  character  and  the 
most  striking  acts  of  his  brilliant  record  are  too 
familiar  to  be  recounted  here,  yet  often  as  the  story 
is  retold,  it  engages  our  love  and  admiration  and  in- 
terest. We  love  to  record  his  noble  unselfishness, 
his  heroic  purposes,  the  power  of  his  magnificent 
personality,  his  glorious  achievements  for  mankind, 
and  his  stalwart  and  unflinching  devotion  to  inde- 
pendence, liberty,  and  union.  These  cannot  be  too 
often  told  or  be  too  familiarly  known. 


144         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

A  slaveholder  himself,  he  yet  hated  slavery,  and 
provided  in  his  will  for  the  emancipation  of  his 
slaves.  Not  a  college  graduate,  he  was  always  en- 
thusiastically the  friend  of  liberal  education.  .  .  . 

And  how  reverent  always  was  this  great  man,  how 
prompt  and  generous  his  recognition  of  the  guiding 
hand  of  Divine  Providence  in  establishing  and  con- 
trolling the  destinies  of  the  colonies  and  the  Re- 


Washington  states  the  reasons  of  his  belief  in 
language  so  exalted  that  it  should  be  graven  deep  in 
the  mind  of  every  patriot  : 

No  people  can  be  bound  to  acknowledge  and  adore  the 
invisible  hand  which  conducts  the  affairs  of  man  more 
than  the  people  of  the  United  States.  Every  step  by 
which  they  have  advanced  to  the  character  of  an  independ- 
ent nation  seems  to  have  been  distinguished  by  some  token 
of  providential  agency;  and  in  the  important  revolution 
just  accomplished  in  the  system  of  their  united  govern- 
ment the  tranquil  deliberations  and  voluntary  consents  of 
so  many  distinguished  communities  from  which  the  events 
resulted  cannot  be  compared  with  the  means  by  which 
most  governments  have  been  established,  without  some  re- 
turn of  pious  gratitude,  along  with  an  humble  anticipa- 
tion of  the  future  blessings  which  the  same  seems  to 
presage.  The  reflections  arising  out  of  the  present  crisis 
have  forced  themselves  strongly  upon  my  mind.  You  will 
join  me,  I  trust,  in  thinking  that  there  are  none  under  the 
influence  of  which  the  proceedings  of  a  new  and  free 
government  are  more  auspiciously  commenced. 

In  his  Farewell  Address,  Washington  contends  in 
part: 

(i)  For  the  promotion  of  institutions  of  learn- 


TRIBUTES  145 

ing;  (2)  for  cherishing  the  public  credit;  (3)  for 
the  observance  of  good  faith  and  justice  toward  all 
nations.  .  .  . 

At  no  point  in  his  administration  does  Washing- 
ton appear  in  grander  proportions  than  when  he 
enunciates  his  ideas  in  regard  to  the  foreign  policy 
of  the  government : 

Observe  good  faith  and  justice  toward  all  nations; 
cultivate  peace  and  harmony  with  all ;  religion  and  morality 
enjoin  this  conduct.  Can  it  be  that  good  policy  does  not 
equally  enjoin  it?  It  will  be  worthy  of  a  free,  enlightened, 
and,  at  no  distant  period,  a  great  nation,  to  give  to  man- 
kind the  magnanimous  and  too  novel  example  of  a  people 
always  guided  by  an  exalted  justice  and  benevolence. 


WASHINGTON 

ANONYMOUS 

We  are  met  to  testify  our  regard  for  him  whose 
name  is  intimately  blended  with  whatever  belongs 
most  essentially  to  the  prosperity,  the  liberty,  the 
free  institutions,  and  the  renown  of  our  country. 
That  name  was  a  power  to  rally  a  nation  in  the  hour 
of  thick-thronging  public  disasters  and  calamities; 
that  name  shone  amid  the  storm  of  war,  a  beacon 
light  to  cheer  and  guide  the  country's  friends;  its 
flame,  too,  like  a  meteor,  to  repel  her  foes.  That 
name  in  the  days  of  peace  was  a  loadstone,  attracting 
to  itself  a  whole  people's  confidence,  a  whole  peo- 
ple's love,  and  the  whole  world's  respect ;  that  name, 


I46         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

descending  with  all  time,  spread  over  the  whole 
earth,  and  uttered  in  all  the  languages  belonging  to 
the  tribes  and  races  of  men,  will  forever  be  pro- 
nounced with  affectionate  gratitude  by  everyone  in 
whose  breast  there  shall  arise  an  aspiration  for 
human  rights  and  human  liberty. 

Washington  stands  at  the  commencement  of  a 
new  era,  as  well  as  at  the  head  of  the  New  World. 
A  century  from  the  birth  of  Washington  has 
changed  the  world.  The  country  of  Washington 
has  been  the  theater  on  which  a  great  part  of  that 
change  has  been  wrought,  and  Washington  himself 
a  principal  agent  by  which  it  has  been  accomplished. 
His  age  and  his  country  are  equally  full  of  won- 
ders, and  of  both  he  is  the  chief. 

It  is  the  spirit  of  human  freedom,  the  new  eleva- 
tion of  individual  man,  in  his  moral,  social,  and 
political  character,  leading  the  whole  long  train  of 
other  improvements,  which  has  most  remarkably  dis- 
tinguished the  era.  Society  has  assumed  a  new  char- 
acter; it  has  raised  itself  from  beneath  governments 
to  a  participation  in  governments;  it  has  mixed 
moral  and  political  objects  with  the  daily  pursuits  of 
individual  men,  and,  with  a  freedom  and  strength 
before  altogether  unknown,  it  has  applied  to  these 
objects  the  whole  power  of  the  human  understand- 
ing. It  has  been  the  era,  in  short,  when  the  social 
principle  has  triumphed  over  the  feudal  principle; 
when  society  has  maintained  its  rights  against  mili- 
tary power,  and  established  on  foundations  never 
hereafter  to  be  shaken  its  competency  to  govern 
itself. 


VII 

WASHINGTON'S   PLACE 
IN  HISTORY 


THE  HIGHEST  PEDESTAL 

BY  WILLIAM  E.  GLADSTONE 

When  I  first  read  in  detail  the  life  of  Wash- 
ington, I  was  profoundly  impressed  with  the  moral 
elevation  and  greatness  of  his  character,  and  I  found 
myself  at  a  loss  to  name  among  the  statesmen  of 
any  age  or  country  many,  or  possibly  any,  who  could 
be  his  rival.  In  saying  this  I  mean  no  disparage- 
ment to  the  class  of  politicians,  the  men  of  my  own 
craft  and  cloth,  whom  in  my  own  land,  and  my  own 
experience,  I  have  found  no  less  worthy  than  other 
men  of  love  and  admiration.  I  could  name  among 
them  those  who  seem  to  me  to  come  near  even  to 
him.  But  I  will  shut  out  the  last  half  century  from 
the  comparison.  I  will  then  say  that  if,  among  all 
the  pedestals  supplied  by  history  for  public  char- 
acters of  extraordinary  nobility  and  purity,  I  saw 
one  higher  than  all  the  rest,  and  if  I  were  required 
at  a  moment's  notice  to  name  the  fittest  occupant 
for  it,  I  think  my  choice  at  any  time  during  the  last 
forty-five  years  would  have  lighted,  as  it  would  now 
light,  upon  Washington. 


149 


150        WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 
WASHINGTON  IN  HISTORY 

BY  CHAUNCEY  M.  DEPEW 

No  man  ever  stood  for  so  much  to  his  country 
and  to  mankind  as  George  Washington.  Hamilton, 
Jefferson,  Adams,  Madison,  and  Jay  each  repre- 
sented some  of  the  elements  which  formed  the 
Union.  Washington  embodied  them  all. 
*  The  superiority  of  Washington's  character  and 
genius  were  more  conspicuous  in  the  formation  of 
our  government  and  in  putting  it  on  indestructible 
foundations  than  leading  armies  to  victory  and 
conquering  the  independence  of  his  country.  "  The 
Union  in  any  event "  is  the  central  thought  of  the 
"  Farewell  Address,"  and  all  the  years  of  his  grand 
life  were  devoted  to  its  formation  and  preservation. 

Do  his  countrymen  exaggerate  his  virtues? 
Listen  to  Guizot,  the  historian  of  civilization : 
"  Washington  did  the  two  greatest  things  which  in 
politics  it  is  permitted  to  man  to  attempt.  He  main- 
tained by  peace  the  independence  of  his  country, 
which  he  conquered  by  war.  He  founded  a  free 
government  in  the  name  of  the  principles  of  order, 
and  by  re-establishing  their  sway." 

Hear  Lord  Erskine,  the  most  famous  of  English 
advocates :  "  You  are  the  only  being  for  whom  I 
have  an  awful  reverence." 

Remember  the  tribute  of  Charles  James  Fox,  the 
greatest  parliamentary  orator  who  ever  swayed  the 
British  House  of  Commons :  "  Illustrious  man,  be- 
fore whom  all  borrowed  greatness  sinks  into  in- 
significance." 


WASHINGTON'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY     151 

Contemplate  the  character  of  Lord  Brougham, 
pre-eminent  for  two  generations  in  every  depart- 
ment of  human  thought  and  activity,  and  then  im- 
press upon  the  memories  of  your  children  his  delib- 
erate judgment :  "  Until  time  shall  be  no  more  will  a 
test  of  the  progress  which  our  race  has  made  in 
wisdom  and  virtue  be  derived  from  the  veneration 
paid  to  the  immortal  name  of  Washington." 

Blot  out  from  the  page  of  history  the  names  of  all 
the  great  actors  of  his  time  in  the  drama  of  nations, 
and  preserve  the  name  of  Washington,  and  the  cen- 
tury would  be  renowned. 


TO  THE  SHADE  OF  WASHINGTON 

BY  RICHARD  ALSOP 

Exalted  chief,  in  thy  superior  mind 

What  vast  resource,  what  various  talents  joined! 

Tempered  with  social  virtue's  milder  rays, 

There  patriot  worth  diffused  a  purer  blaze ; 

Formed  to  command  respect,  esteem,  inspire, 

Midst  statesmen  grave,  or  midst  the  social  choir, 

With  equal  skill  the  sword  or  pen  to  wield, 

In  council  great,  unequaled  in  the  field, 

Mid  glittering  courts  or  rural  walks  to  please, 

Polite  with  grandeur,  dignified  with  ease ; 

Before  the  splendors  of  thy  high  renown 

How  fade  the  glow-worn  lusters  of  a  crown ; 

How  sink  diminished  in  that  radiance  lost 

The  glare  of  conquest,  and  of  power  the  boast. 


152         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Let  Greece  her  Alexander's  deeds  proclaim; 

Or  Caesar's  triumphs  gild  the  Roman  name  ; 

Stripped  of  the  dazzling  glare  around  them  cast, 

Shrinks  at  their  crimes  humanity  aghast; 

With  equal  claim  to  honor's  glorious  meed. 

See  Attila  his  course  of  havoc  lead ! 

O'er  Asia's  realms,  in  one  vast  ruin  hurled. 

See  furious  Zingis'  bloody  flag  unfurled. 

On  base  far  different  from  the  conqueror's  claim 

Rests  the  unsullied  column  of  thy  fame; 

His  on  the  woes  of  millions  proudly  based, 

With  blood  cemented  and  with  tears  defaced; 

Thine  on  a  nation's  welfare  fixed  sublime, 

By  freedom  strengthened  and  revered  by  time. 

He,  as  the  Comet,  whose  portentous  light 

Spreads  baleful  splendor  o'er  the  glooms  of  night, 

With  chill  amazement  fills  the  startled  breast. 

While    storms    and    earthquakes    dire    its    course 

attest, 

And  nature  trembles,  lest,  in  chaos  hurled, 
Should  sink  the  tottering  fabric  of  the  world. 
Thou,  like  the  Sun,  whose  kind  propitious  ray 
Opes  the  glad  morn  and  lights  the  fields  of  day, 
Dispels  the  wintry  storm,  the  chilling  rain, 
With  rich  abundance  clothes  the  smiling  plain, 
Gives  all  creation  to  rejoice  around, 
And   life  and  light  extends  o'er  nature's   utmost 

bound. 

Though  shone  thy  life  a  model  bright  of  praise, 
Not  less  the  example  bright  thy  death  portrays, 
When,  plunged  in  deepest  wo,  around  thy  bed, 
Each  eye  was  fixed,  despairing  sunk  each  head, 


WASHINGTON'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY     153 

While  nature  struggled  with  severest  pain, 
And  scarce  could  life's  last  lingering  powers  re- 
tain: 

In  that  dread  moment,  awfully  serene, 
No  trace  of  suffering  marked  thy  placid  mien, 
No  groan,  no  murmuring  plaint,  escaped  thy  tongue, 
No  lowering  shadows  on  thy  brow  were  hung; 
But  calm  in  Christian  hope,  undamped  with  fear, 
Thou  sawest  the  high  reward  of  virtue  near, 
On  that  bright  meed  in  sweetest  trust  reposed, 
As  thy  firm  hand  thine  eyes  expiring  closed, 
Pleased,  to  the  will  of  heaven  resigned  thy  breath, 
And  smiled  as  nature's  struggles  closed  in  death. 


THE  MAJESTIC  EMINENCE  OF  WASH- 
INGTON 

BY  CHAUNCEY  M.  DEPEW 

In  an  Address,  February  22,  1888 
"Time's  noblest  offspring  is  the  last." 

As  the  human  race  has  moved  along  down  the 
centuries,  the  vigorous  and  ambitious,  the  dissenters 
from  blind  obedience  and  the  original  thinkers,  the 
colonists  and  state  builders,  have  broken  camp  with 
the  morning,  and  followed  the  sun  till  the  close  of 
day.  They  have  left  behind  narrow  and  degrading 
laws,  traditions,  and  castes.  Their  triumphant  suc- 
cess is  pushing  behind  every  bayonet  carried  at  the 
order  of  Kaiser  or  Czar;  men,  who,  in  doing  their 
own  thinking,  will  one  day  decide  for  themselves 
the  problems  of  peace  and  war. 


154         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

The  scenes  of  the  fifth  act  of  the  grand  drama  are 
changing,  but  all  attention  remains  riveted  upon  one 
majestic  figure.  He  stands  the  noblest  leader  who 
ever  was  intrusted  with  his  country's  life.  His  pa- 
tience under  provocation,  his  calmness  in  danger, 
and  lofty  courage  when  all  others  despaired,  his 
prudent  delays  when  delay  was  best,  and  his  quick 
and  resistless  blows  when  action  was  possible,  his 
magnanimity  to  defamers  and  generosity  to  his  foes, 
his  ambition  for  his  country  and  unselfishness  for 
himself,  his  sole  desire  of  freedom  and  independ- 
ence for  America,  and  his  only  wish  to  return  after 
victory  to  private  life,  have  all  combined  to  make 
him,  by  the  unanimous  judgment  of  the  world,  the 
foremost  figure  of  history. 


FOR  A  LITTLE  PUPIL 

ANONYMOUS 

"  Napoleon  was  great,  I  know, 
And  Julius  Caesar,  and  all  the  rest, 

But  they  didn't  belong  to  us,  and  so 
I  like  George  Washington  the  best" 

WASHINGTON'S  FAME 

BY    ASHER    ROBBINS 

It  is  the  peculiar  good  fortune  of  this  country  to 
have  given  birth  to  a  citizen  whose  name  everywhere 
produces  a  sentiment  of  regard  for  his  country  it- 


WASHINGTON'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY     155 

self.  In  other  countries,  whenever  and  wherever 
this  is  spoken  of  to  be  praised,  it  is  called  the  coun- 
try of  Washington.  I  believe  there  is  no  people, 
civilized  or  savage,  in  any  place  however  remote, 
where  the  name  of  Washington  has  not  been  heard, 
and  where  it  is  not  respected  with  the  fondest  ad- 
miration. We  are  told  that  the  Arab  of  the  desert 
talks  of  Washington  in  his  tent,  and  that  his  name 
is  familiar  to  the  wandering  Scythian.  He  seems, 
indeed,  to  be  the  delight  of  humankind,  as  their 
beau-ideal  of  human  nature.  No  American,  in  any 
part  of  the  world,  but  has  found  the  regard  for  him- 
self increased  by  his  connection  with  Washington, 
as  his  fellow-countryman;  and  who  has  not  felt  a 
pride,  and  has  occasion  to  exult,  in  the  fortunate 
connection  ? 

A  century  and  more  has  now  passed  away  since 
he  came  upon  the  stage,  and  his  fame  first  broke 
upon  the  world;  for  it  broke  like  the  blaze  of  day 
from  the  rising  sun — almost  as  sudden,  and  seem- 
ingly as  universal.  The  eventful  period  since  that 
era  has  teemed  with  great  men,  who  have  crossed  the 
scene  and  passed  off.  Some  of  them  have  arrested 
great  attention — very  great.  Still  Washington  re- 
tains his  preeminent  place  in  the  minds  of  men; 
still  his  peerless  name  is  cherished  by  them  in  the 
same  freshness  of  delight  as  in  the  morn  of  its  glory. 
History  will  keep  a  record  of  his  fame ;  but  history 
is  not  necessary  to  perpetuate  it.  In  regions  where 
history  is  not  read,  where  letters  are  unknown,  it 
lives,  and  will  go  down  from  age  to  age,  in  all  future 
time,  in  their  traditionary  lore.  Who  would  ex- 


156         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

change  this  fame,  the  common  inheritance  of  our 
country,  for  the  fame  of  any  individual  which  any 
country  of  any  time  can  boast?  I  would  not;  with 
my  sentiments  I  could  not. 


WASHINGTON 
The  Brightest  Name  on  History's  Page 

BY   ELIZA   COOK 

Land  of  the  West !  though  passing  brief  the  record 

of  thine  age, 
Thou  hast  a  name  that  darkens  all  on  history's  wide 

page! 
Let  all  the  blasts  of  Fame  ring  out, — thine  shall  be 

loudest  far; 
Let   others   boast   their   satellites, — thou   hast   the 

planet  star. 
Thou  hast  a  name  whose  characters  of  light  shall 

ne'er  depart  ;- 
'Tis  stamped  upon  the  dullest  brain,  and  warms  the 

coldest  heart; 
A  war-cry  fit  for  any  land  where  freedom's  to  be 

won; 

Land  of  the  West !  it  stands  alone, — it  is  thy  Wash- 
ington ! 

Rome  had  its  Caesar,  great  and  brave,  but  stain  was 

on  his  wreath ; 
He   lived   the   heartless   conqueror,   and   died   the 

tyrant's  death. 


'WASHINGTON'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY     157 

France  had  its  eagle,  but  his  wings,  though  lofty 

they  might  soar, 
Were  spread  in  false  ambition's  flight,  and  dipped  in 

murder's  gore. 
Those  hero-gods,  whose  mighty  sway  would  fain 

have  chained  the  waves — 
Who  flashed  their  blades  with  tiger  zeal  to  make  a 

world  of  slaves — 
Who,  though  their  kindred  barred  the  path,  still 

fiercely  waded  on, 
Oh,  where  shall  be  their  "  glory  "  by  the  side  of 

Washington ! 

He  fought,  but  not  with  love  of  strife;  he  struck 

but  to  defend; 
And  ere  he  turned  a  people's  foe,  he  sought  to  be  a 

friend ; 
He  strove  to  keep  his  country's  right  by  reason's 

gentle  word, 
And  sighed  when  fell  injustice  threw  the  challenge 

sword  to  sword. 
He  stood  the  firm,  the  wise,  the  patriot,  and  the 

sage  ; 
He  showed  no  deep,  avenging  hate,  no  burst  of 

despot  rage; 

He  stood  for  Liberty  and  Truth,  and  daringly  led  on 
Till  shouts  of  victory  gave  forth  the  name  of  Wash- 
ington. 

No  car  of  triumph  bore  him  through  a  city  filled 

with  grief ; 
No  groaning  captives  at  the  wheels  proclaimed  him 

victor-chief; 


158         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

He  broke  the  gyves  of  slavery  with  strong  and  high 
disdain, 

But  cast  no  scepter  from  the  links  when  he  had  rent 
the  chain. 

He  saved  his  land,  but  did  not  lay  his  soldier  trap- 
pings down 

To  change  them  for  a  regal  vest  and  don  a  kingly 
crown. 

Fame  was  too  earnest  in  her  joy,  too  proud  of  such 
a  son, 

To  let  a  robe  and  title  mask  her  noble  Washington. 

England,  my  heart  is  truly  thine,  my  loved,  my  na- 
tive earth, — 
The  land  that  holds  a  mother's  grave  and  gave  that 

mother  birth ! 
Oh,  keenly  sad  would  be  the  fate  that  thrust  me 

from  thy  shore 
And  faltering  my  breath  that  sighed,  "  Farewell  for 

evermore ! " 
But  did  I  meet  such  adverse  lot.  I  would  not  seek  to 

dwell 
Where  olden  heroes  wrought  the  deeds  for  Homer's 

song  to  tell. 
"  Away,  thou  gallant  ship !  "  I'd  cry,  "  and  bear  me 

safely  on, 
But  bear  me  from  my  own  fair  land  to  that  of 

Washington." 


WASHINGTON'S  PLACE  IN  HISTORY     159 


WASHINGTON,  THE  PATRIOT 

An  extract  from  President  McKinley's  address  on 
Washington,  taken  from  a  report  in  the  Cleve- 
land Leader 

Washington  and  the  American  Republic  are  in- 
separable. You  cannot  study  history  without  hav- 
ing the  name  of  Washington  come  to  you  unbidden. 
Bancroft  said,  "  But  for  Washington  the  Republic 
would  never  have  been  conceived;  the  Constitution 
would  not  have  been  formed,  and  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment would  never  have  been  put  in  operation." 
Washington  felt  that  the  Revolution  was  a  struggle 
for  freedom,  and  it  was  by  his  strong  character  and 
wonderful  patriotism  that  the  army  was  held  to- 
gether during  the  prolonged  and  perilous  war.  In 
all  the  public  affairs  of  the  colonies  Washington  was 
the  champion  of  right.  His  military  career  has 
never  been  equaled.  He  continued  at  the  head  of 
his  army  until  the  close  of  the  war,  overcoming 
jealousies  and  intrigues,  which  only  the  greatest 
courage  and  the  sublimest  wisdom  could  do.  The 
ideal  he  had  ever  cherished  was  one  in  which  the 
individual  could  have  the  greatest  liberty,  consistent 
with  the  country's  best  interests,  and  it  was  with 
this  ideal  constantly  in  mind  that  he  carried  on  the 
war  and  embodied  the  principles  of  liberty  within 
the  government.  Washington  had  many  tempta- 
tions, but  the  greatest  of  them  came  after  the  vic- 
tory was  achieved.  At  the  time  when  the  army  was 


160         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

in  revolt,  when  there  was  dissatisfaction  in  Con- 
gress, and  consternation  and  distress  throughout  the 
colonies,  it  was  proposed  that  the  original  plan  of 
government  be  abandoned  and  that  Washington  be 
chosen  as  the  military  ruler  or  dictator.  Washing- 
ton's strong  reproval  of  such  proposals  and  his  in- 
sistence upon  the  stronger  government,  showed  his 
unselfish  regard  for  the  country.  A  weaker  man 
might  have  weakened,  a  bad  one  would,  but  Wash- 
ington was  determined  to  embody  into  the  govern- 
ment all  that  had  been  achieved  by  the  war.  Wash- 
ington in  what  he  did  had  no  precedents.  He  and 
his  associates  made  the  chart  which  assisted  them 
in  guiding  the  new  government.  He  established 
credit,  put  the  army  and  navy  on  a  permanent  basis, 
fostered  commerce,  and  was  ever  on  the  side  of 
education. 

Everything  that  he  did  demonstrates  his  marvel- 
ous foresight.  We  cannot  afford  to  spare  the  in- 
spiration that  comes  from  Washington.  It  pro- 
motes patriotism  and  gives  vigor  to  national  life. 
Washington's  views  on  slavery  were  characterized 
by  a  high  sense  of  justice  and  an  exalted  con- 
science. He  was  the  owner  of  slaves  by  inher- 
itance, all  his  interests  were  affected  by  slavery,  yet 
he  was  opposed  to  it,  and  in  his  will  he  provided  for 
the  liberation  of  his  slaves.  He  set  the  example  for 
emancipation.  He  hoped  for,  prayed  for,  and  was 
willing  to  vote  for  what  Lincoln  afterward  ac- 
complished. 


VIII 
THE  WHOLE  MAN 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

BY  JOHN   HALL  INGHAM 

This  was  the  man  God  gave  us  when  the  hour 
Proclaimed  the  dawn  of  Liberty  begun; 
Who  dared  a  deed,  and  died  when  it  was  done, 
Patient  in  triumph,  temperate  in  power, — 
Not  striving  like  the  Corsican  to  tower 
To  heaven,  nor  like  great  Philip's  greater  son 
To  win  the  world  and  weep  for  worlds  unwon, 
Or  lose  the  star  to  revel  in  the  flower. 
The  lives  that  serve  the  eternal  verities 
Alone  do  mold  mankind.     Pleasure  and  pride 
Sparkle  awhile  and  perish,  as  the  spray 
Smoking  across  the  crests  of  cavernous  seas 
Is  impotent  to  hasten  or  delay 
The  everlasting  surges  of  the  tide. 


HISTORICAL    MEMORABILIA    OF    WASH- 
INGTON 

COMPILED  BY  H.   B.  CARRINGTON 

1732.  February  22  (February  n,  O.  S.),  born. 
1748.  Surveyor  of  lands  at  sixteen  years  of  age. 
1751.  Military  inspector  and  major  at  nineteen 
years  of  age. 

163 


164  WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

1752.  Adjutant-general  of  Virginia. 

1753.  Commissioner  to  the  French. 

1754.  Colonel,    and    commanding    the    Virginia 
militia. 

1755.  Aide-de-camp  to  Braddock  in  his  campaign. 
1755.  Again  commands  the  Virginia  troops. 

1758.  Resigns  his  commission. 

1759.  January  6.     Married. 

1759.  Elected    member    of    Virginia    House    of 
Burgesses. 

1765.  Commissioner  to  settle  military  accounts. 

1774.  In  First  Continental  Congress. 

1775.  In  Second  Continental  Congress. 
1775.  June  15.  Elected  commander-in-chief. 

1775.  July  2.     In  command  at  Cambridge. 

1776.  March     17.       Expels    the    British     from 
Boston. 

1776.  August  27.     Battle  of  Long  Island. 

1776.  August  29.     Masterly  retreat  to  New 

1776.  September  15.     Gallant,  at  Kipp's  Bay 

1776.  October  27.     Battle  of  Harlem  Heights. 

1776.  October  29.     Battle  near  White  Plains. 

1776.  November  15.     Enters  New  Jersey. 

1776.  December  5.     Occupies  right  bank  of  the 
Delaware. 

1776.  December  12.    Clothed  with  "  full  power." 

1776.  December  14.  Plans  an  offensive  campaign. 

1776.  December  26.     Battle  of  Trenton. 

1777.  January  3.     Battle  of  Princeton. 

1777.  July.     British   driven    from   New    Jersey, 
during. 

1777.  July  13.     Marches  for  Philadelphia. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  165 

1777.  September  n.     Battle  of  Brandywine. 

1777.  September     15.     Offers    battle    at    West 
Chester. 

1777.  October  4.     Battle  of  Germantown. 

1778.  Winters  at  Valley  Forge. 
1778.  June  28.     Battle  of  Monmouth. 
1778.  British  again  retire  from  New  Jersey. 

1778.  Again  at  White  Plains. 

1779.  At   Middlebrook,   New   Jersey,   and   New 
Windsor. 

1780.  Winters  at  Morristown,  New  Jersey. 

1781.  Confers  with  Rochambeau  as  to  plans. 
1781.  Threatens  New  York  in  June  and  July. 
'1781.  Joins  Lafayette  before  Yorktown. 

1781.  October  19.     Surrender  of  Cornwallis. 
1783.  November  2.     Farewell  to  the  army. 
1783.  November  25.     Occupies  New  York. 
1783.  December  4.     Parts  with  his  officers. 

December  23.     Resigns  his  commission. 

Presides  at  Constitutional  Convention. 
1789.  March  4.     Elected  President  of  the  United 
States. 

1789.  April  30.     Inaugurated  at  New  York. 
1793.  March  4.     Re-elected  for  four  years. 

1796.  September  17.     Farewell  to  the  people. 

1797.  March  4.     Retires  to  private  life. 

1798.  July  3.     Appointed  commander-in-chief. 

1799.  December  14.     Died  at  Mount  Vernon. 


166         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

A   BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  WASHINGTON1 

BY   HENRY    MITCHELL   MACCRACKEN 

George  Washington  was  a  son  of  Augustine 
Washington  and  his  second  wife,  Mary  Ball,  and  a 
descendant  of  John  Washington,  who  emigrated 
from  England  about  1657,  during  the  protectorate 
of  Cromwell.  He  was  born  in  the  English  colony 
of  Virginia,  in  Westmoreland  County,  on  February 
22,  1732.  His  education  was  simple  and  practical. 
To  the  common  English  instruction  of  his  time  and 
home,  young  Washington  added  bookkeeping  and 
surveying.  The  three  summers  preceding  his  twen- 
tieth year  he  spent  in  surveying  the  estate  of  Lord 
Fairfax  on  the  northwest  boundary  of  the  colony, 
an  occupation  which  strengthened  his  splendid 
physical  constitution  to  a  high  point  of  efficiency, 
and  gave  him  practice  in  topography, — valuable  aids 
in  the  military  campaigning  which  speedily  fol- 
lowed. 

In  1751,  at  nineteen,  he  was  made  Adjutant  in 
the  militia,  with  the  rank  of  Major.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  inherited  the  estate  of  Mount 
Vernon.  In  the  winter  of  1753-54,  at  twenty-one, 
he  was  sent  by  the  Governor  of  Virginia  on  a  mis- 
sion to  the  French  posts  beyond  the  Alleghanies. 
Soon  after  his  return  he  led  a  regiment  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  Ohio,  but  was  compelled  to  retreat  to 

'From  "The  Hall  of  Fame."  Published  by  G.  P.  Put- 
nam's Sons,  New  York,  1901. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  167 

the  colony  on  account  of  the  overwhelming  numbers 
of  the  French  at  Fort  Duquesne.  In  Braddock's 
defeat,  July  9,  1755,  Washington  was  one  of  the 
latter's  aides,  and  narrowly  escaped  death,  having 
had  two  horses  shot  under  him.  During  the  re- 
maining part  of  the  French  and  Indian  War,  he  was 
in  command  of  the  Virginia  frontier,  with  the  rank 
of  Colonel,  and  occupied  Fort  Duquesne  in  1758. 
On  January  17,  1759,  he  married  a  wealthy  widow, 
Mrs.  Martha  Custis,  and  removed  to  Mount  Ver- 
non.  The  administration  of  his  plantations  in- 
volved a  large  measure  of  commerce  with  England, 
and  he  himself  with  his  own  hand  kept  his  books 
with  mercantile  exactness. 

Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  Washing- 
ton was  appointed  by  the  Continental  Congress,  at 
forty-three  years  of  age,  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  Armies  of  the  Revolution,  and  assumed  their 
control  at  Cambridge  on  July  3,  1775.  In  1776  he 
occupied  Boston,  lost  New  York,  then  brilliantly 
restored  the  drooping  spirit  of  the  land  at  Trenton 
and  Princeton.  In  the  year  following  he  lost  Phila- 
delphia, and  retreated  to  Valley  Forge.  Threat- 
ened by  the  jealousy  of  his  own  subordinates,  he 
put  to  shame  the  cabal  fprmed  in  the  interests  of 
Gates,  who  had  this  year  captured  Burgoyne.  For 
three  years,  1778-80,  he  maintained  himself  against 
heavy  odds  in  the  Jerseys,  fighting  at  Monmouth 
the  first  year,  reaching  out  to  capture  Stony  Point 
the  next  year,  and  the  third  year  combating  the  trea- 
son of  Arnold.  In  1781,  he  planned  the  cooping  up 
of  Cornwallis  on  the  peninsula  of  Yorktown,  with 


168         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

the  aid  of  the  French  allies,  and  received  his  sur- 
render on  October  i9th. 

Resigning  his  commission  at  Annapolis,  Decem- 
ber 23,  1783,  he  returned  to  his  estate  at  Mount 
Vernon,  but  vastly  aided  the  incipient  work  of 
framing  the  Constitution  by  correspondence.  In 
May,  1787,  he  took  his  seat  as  President  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention  at  Philadelphia.  He  was  in- 
augurated the  first  President  of  the  United  States 
in  April,  1789,  after  a  unanimous  election.  He  was 
similarly  reelected  in  1793,  but  refused  a  third  term 
in  1796.  In  the  face  of  unmeasured  vituperation  he 
firmly  kept  the  nascent  nation  from  embroiling  her- 
self in  the  wars  of  France  and  England.  Retiring 
again  to  Mount  Vernon  in  the  spring  of  1797,  he 
nevertheless  accepted,  at  sixty-six  years  of  age,  the 
post  of  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  provisional 
army  raised  in  1798  to  meet  the  insolence  of  the 
French  Directorate.  In  December,  1799,  while  rid- 
ing about  his  estates  during  a  snowstorm,  he  con- 
tracted a  disease  of  the  throat,  from  which  he  died 
on  December  14,  1799.  He  provided  by  his  will 
for  the  manumission  of  his  slaves,  to  take  effect  on 
the  decease  of  his  widow.  No  lineal  descendants 
can  claim  as  an  ancestor  this  extraordinary  man. 
He  belongs  to  his  country.  His  tomb  is  at  Mount 
Vernon,  and  is  in  keeping  of  the  women  of  America. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  169 

THE  CHARACTER  OF  WASHINGTON 

BY  DANIEL   WEBSTER 

'A  Speech  Delivered  at  a  Public  Dinner,  Washing- 
ton, February  22,  1832 

The  Power  of  the  Name  of  Washington 

We  are  met  to  testify  our  regard  for  him  whose 
name  is  intimately  blended  with  whatever  belongs 
most  essentially  to  the  prosperity,  the  liberty,  the 
free  institutions,  and  the  renown  of  our  country. 
That  name  was  of  power  to  rally  a  nation,  in  the 
hour  of  thick-thronging  public  disasters  and  calam- 
ities; that  name  shone,  amid  the  storm  of  war,  a 
beacon  light,  to  cheer  and  guide  the  country's 
friends;  it  flamed,  too,  like  a  meteor,  to  repel  her 
foes.  That  name,  in  the  days  of  peace,  was  a  lode- 
stone,  attracting  to  itself  a  whole  people's  con- 
fidence, a  whole  people's  love,  and  the  whole  world's 
respect.  That  name,  descending  with  all  time, 
spreading  over  the  whole  earth,  and  uttered  in  all 
the  languages  belonging  to  the  tribes  and  races  of 
men,  will  forever  be  pronounced  with  affectionate 
gratitude  by  everyone  in  whose  breast  there  shall 
arise  an  aspiration  for  human  rights  and  human 
liberty. 

We  perform  this  grateful  duty,  Gentlemen,  at  the 
expiration  of  a  hundred  years  from  his  birth,  near 
the  place  so  cherished  and  beloved  by  him,  where 
his  dust  now  reposes,  and  in  the  capital  which  bears 
his  own  immortal  name. 


170         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

All  experience  evinces  that  human  sentiments  are 
strongly  influenced  by  association.  The  recur- 
rence of  anniversaries,  or  of  longer  periods  of  time, 
naturally  freshens  the  recollection,  and  deepens  the 
impression,  of  events  with  which  they  are  histor- 
ically connected.  Renowned  places,  also,  have  a 
power  to  awaken  feeling,  which  all  acknowledge. 
No  American  can  pass  by  the  fields  of  Bunker  Hill, 
Monmouth,  and  Camden,  as  if  they  were  ordinary 
spots  on  the  earth's  surface.  Whoever  visits  them 
feels  the  sentiment  of  love  of  country  kindling 
anew,  as  if  the  spirit  that  belonged  to  the  transac- 
tions which  have  rendered  these  places  distinguished 
still  hovered  round,  with  power  to  move  and  excite 
all  who  in  future  time  may  approach  them. 

Washington's  Great  Moral  Example  to  the  Youth 
of  America 

But  neither  of  these  sources  of  emotion  equals 
the  power  with  which  great  moral  examples  affect 
the  mind.  When  sublime  virtues  cease  to  be  ab- 
stractions, when  they  become  embodied  in  human 
character,  and  exemplified  in  human  conduct,  we 
should  be  false  to  our  own  nature  if  we  did  not  in- 
dulge in  the  spontaneous  effusions  of  our  gratitude 
and  our  admiration.  A  true  lover  of  the  virtue  of 
patriotism  delights  to  contemplate  its  purest  mod- 
els; and  that  love  of  country  may  be  well  suspected 
which  affects  to  soar  so  high  into  the  regions  of 
sentiment  as  to  be  lost  and  absorbed  in  the  abstract 
feeling,  and  becomes  too  elevated  or  too  refined  to 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  171 

glow  with  fervor  in  the  commendation  or  the  love 
of  individual  benefactors.  All  this  is  unnatural.  It 
is  as  if  one  should  be  so  enthusiastic  a  lover  of 
poetry  as  to  care  nothing  for  Homer  or  Milton ;  so 
passionately  attached  to  eloquence  as  to  be  indiffer- 
ent to  Tully 1  and  Chatham ;  or  such  a  devotee  to  the 
art,  in  such  an  ecstasy  with  the  elements  of  beauty, 
proportion,  and  expression,  as  to  regard  the  mas- 
terpieces of  Raphael  and  Michel  Angelo  with  cold- 
ness or  contempt.  We  may  be  assured,  Gentle- 
men, that  he  wfib  really  loves  the  thing  itself,  loves 
its  finest  exhibitions.  A  true  friend  of  his  coun- 
try loves  her  friends  and  benefactors,  and  thinks 
it  no  degradation  to  commend  and  commemorate 
them.  The  voluntary  outpouring  of  the  public  feel- 
ing, made  to-day,  from  the  north  to  the  south,  and 
from  the  east  to  the  west,  proves  this  sentiment  to 
be  both  just  and  natural.  In  the  cities  and  in  the 
villages,  in  the  public  temples  and  in  the  family 
circles,  among  all  ages  and  sexes,  gladdened  voices 
to-day  bespeak  grateful  hearts  and  a  freshened 
recollection  of  the  virtues  of  the  Father  of  his 
Country.  And  it  will  be  so,  in  all  time  to  come, 
so  long  as  public  virtue  is  itself  an  object  of  regard. 
The  ingenuous  youth  of  America  will  hold  up  to 
themselves  the  bright  model  of  Washington's  ex- 
ample, and  study  to  be  what  they  behold ;  they  will 
contemplate  his  character  till  all  its  virtues  spread 
out  and  display  themselves  to  their  delighted  vision  ; 
as  the  earliest  astronomers,  the  shepherds  on  the 

*At  the   beginning   of  the   nineteenth   century   Marcus 
Tullius  Cicero  was  often  called  Tully. 


172         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

plains  of  Babylon,  gazed  at  the  stars  till  they  saw 
them  form  into  clusters  and  constellations,  over- 
powering at  length  the  eyes  of  the  beholders  with 
the  united  blaze  of  a  thousand  lights. 


A  Wonderful  Age  and  Country 

Gentlemen,  we  are  at  a  point  of  a  century  from 
the  birth  of  Washington ;  and  what  a  century  it  has 
been!  During  its  course,  the  human  mind  has 
seemed  to  proceed  with  a  sort  of  geometric  velocity, 
accomplishing  for  human  intelligence  and  human 
freedom  more  than  had  been  done  in  fives  or  tens 
of  centuries  preceding.  Washington  stands  at  the 
commencement  of  a  new  era,  as  well  as  at  the  head 
of  the  New  World.  A  century  from  the  birth  of 
Washington  has  changed  the  world.  The  country 
of  Washington  has  been  the  theater  on  which  a 
great  part  of  that  change  has  been  wrought,  and 
Washington  himself  a  principal  agent  by  which  it 
has  been  accomplished.  His  age  and  his  country 
are  equally  full  of  wonders;  and  of  both  he  is  the 
chief. 

If  the  poetical  prediction,  uttered  a  few  years  be- 
fore his  birth,  be  true;  if  indeed  it  be  designed  by 
Providence  that  the  grandest  exhibition  of  human 
character  and  human  affairs  shall  be  made  in  this 
theater  of  the  Western  world;  if  it  be  true  that, 

"  The  four  first  acts  already  past, 
A  fifth  shall  close  the  drama  with  the  day; 
Time's  noblest  offspring  is  the  last " ; 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  173 

how  could  this  imposing,  swelling,  final  scene  be 
appropriately  opened,  how  could  its  intense  interest 
be  adequately  sustained  but  by  the  introduction  of 
just  such  a  character  as  our  Washington? 

The  Spark  of  Human  Freedom 

Washington  had  attained  his  manhood  when  that 
spark  of  liberty  was  struck  out  in  his  own  country 
which  has  since  kindled  into  a  flame  and  shot  its 
beams  over  the  earth.  In  the  flow  of  a  century 
from  his  birth,  the  world  has  changed  in  science,  in 
arts,  in  the  extent  of  commerce,  in  the  improvement 
of  navigation,  and  in  all  that  relates  to  the  civiliza- 
tion of  man.  But  it  is  the  spirit  of  human  freedom, 
the  new  elevation  of  individual  man,  in  his  moral, 
social,  and  political  character,  leading  the  whole  long 
train  of  other  improvements,  which  has  most  re- 
markably distinguished  the  era.  Society,  in  this 
century,  has  not  made  its  progress,  like  Chinese 
skill,  by  a  greater  acuteness  of  ingenuity  in  trifles; 
it  has  not  merely  lashed  itself  to  an  increased  speed 
round  the  old  circles  of  thought  and  action;  but  it 
has  assumed  a  new  character;  it  has  raised  itself 
from  beneath  governments  to  a  participation  in  gov- 
ernments; it  has  mixed  moral  and  political  objects 
with  the  daily  pursuits  of  individual  men ;  and,  with 
a  freedom  and  strength  before  altogether  unknown, 
it  has  applied  to  these  objects  the  whole  power  of 
the  human  understanding.  It  has  been  the  era,  in 
short,  when  the  social  principle  has  triumphed  over 
the  feudal  principle;  when  society  has  maintained 


174         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

its  rights  against  military  power,  and  established,  on 
foundations  never  hereafter  to  be  shaken,  its  com- 
petency to  govern  itself. 


'A  New  Governmental  Experiment 

It  was  the  extraordinary  fortune  of  Washington 
that,  having  been  intrusted  in  revolutionary  times, 
with  the  supreme  military  command,  and  having 
fulfilled  that  trust  with  equal  renown  for  wisdom 
and  for  valor,  he  should  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
first  government  in  which  an  attempt  was  to  be 
made  on  a  large  scale  to  rear  the  fabric  of  social 
order  on  the  basis  of  a  written  constitution,  and  of 
a  pure  representative  principle.  A  government  was 
to  be  established  without  a  throne,  without  an  aris- 
tocracy, without  castes,  orders,  or  privileges;  and 
this  government,  instead  of  being  a  democracy  ex- 
isting and  acting  within  the  walls  of  a  single  city, 
was  to  be  extended  over  a  vast  country  of  different 
climates,  interests,  and  habits,  and  of  various  com- 
munions of  our  common  Christian  faith.  The  ex- 
periment certainly  was  entirely  new.  A  popular 
government  of  this  extent,  it  was  evident,  could  be 
framed  only  by  carrying  into  full  effect  the  prin- 
ciple of  representation  or  of  delegated  power;  and 
the  world  was  to  see  whether  society  could,  by  the 
strength  of  this  principle,  maintain  its  own  peace 
and  good  government,  carry  forward  its  own  great 
interests,  and  conduct  itself  to  political  renown  and 
glory.  By  the  benignity  of  Providence,  this  experi- 
ment, so  full  of  interest  to  us  and  to  our  posterity 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  175 

forever,  so  full  of  interest,  indeed,  to  the  world  in 
its  present  generation  and  in  all  its  generations  to 
come,  was  suffered  to  commence  under  the  guidance 
of  Washington.  Destined  for  this  high  career,  he 
was  fitted  for  it  by  wisdom,  by  virtue,  by  patriot- 
ism, by  discretion,  by  whatever  can  inspire  con- 
fidence in  man  toward  man.  In  entering  on  the  un- 
tried scenes,  early  disappointment  and  the  prema- 
ture extinction  of  all  hope  of  success  would  have 
been  certain,  had  it  not  been  that  there  did  exist 
throughout  the  country,  in  a  most  extraordinary  de- 
gree, an  unwavering  trust  in  him  who  stood  at  the 
helm. 

The  World  Interested  in  the  Experiment 

I  remarked,  Gentlemen,  that  the  whole  world  was 
and  is  interested  in  the  result  of  this  experiment. 
And  is  it  not  so?  Do  we  deceive  ourselves,  or  is 
it  true  that  at  this  moment  the  career  which  this 
government  is  running  is  among  the  most  attractive 
objects  to  the  civilized  world?  Do  we  deceive  our- 
selves, or  is  it  true  that  at  this  moment  that  love  of 
liberty  and  that  understanding  of  its  true  principles 
which  are  flying  over  the  whole  earth,  as  on  the 
wings  of  all  the  winds,  are  really  and  truly  of 
American  origin  ? 

Importance  of  the  English  Revolution  of  1688 

At  the  period  of  the  birth  of  Washington  there 
existed  in  Europe  no  political  liberty  in  large  com- 
munities, except  in  the  provinces  of  Holland,  and 


176         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

except  that  England  herself  had  set  a  great  ex- 
ample, so  far  as  it  went,  by  her  glorious  Revolution 
of  1688.  Everywhere  else,  despotic  power  was  pre- 
dominant, and  the  feudal  or  military  principle  held 
the  mass  of  mankind  in  hopeless  bondage.  One- 
half  of  Europe  was  crushed  beneath  the  Bourbon 
scepter,  and  no  conception  of  political  liberty,  no 
hope  even  of  religious  toleration,  existed  among 
that  nation  which  was  America's  first  ally.  The 
king  was  the  state,  the  king  was  the  country,  the 
king  was  all.  There  was  one  king,  with  power  not 
derived  from  his  people,  and  too  high  to  be  ques- 
tioned; and  the  rest  were  all  subjects,  with  no 
political  right  but  obedience.  All  above  was  in- 
tangible power,  all  below  quiet  subjection.  A  re- 
cent occurrence  in  the  French  chamber  shows  us 
how  public  opinion  on  these  subjects  is  changed. 
A  minister  had  spoken  of  the  "king's  subjects." 
"  There  are  no  subjects,"  exclaimed  hundreds  of 
voices  at  once,  "  in  a  country  where  the  people  make 
the  king!" 

Gentlemen,  the  spirit  of  human  liberty  and  of 
free  government,  nurtured  and  grown  into  strength 
and  beauty  in  America,  has  stretched  its  course  into 
the  midst  of  the  nations.  Like  an  emanation  from 
Heaven,  it  has  gone  forth,  and  it  will  not  return 
void.  It  must  change,  it  is  fast  changing,  the  face 
of  the  earth.  Our  great,  our  high  duty  is  to  show, 
in  our  own  example,  that  this  spirit  is  a  spirit  of 
health  as  well  as  a  spirit  of  power;  that  its  be- 
nignity is  as  great  as  its  strength ;  that  its  efficiency 
to  secure  individual  rights,  social  relations,  and 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  177 

moral  order,  is  equal  to  the  irresistible  force  with 
which  it  prostrates  principalities  and  powers.  The 
world,  at  this  moment,  is  regarding  us  with  a  will- 
ing, but  something  of  a  fearful,  admiration.  Its 
deep  and  awful  anxiety  is  to  learn  whether  free 
States  may  be  stable,  as  well  as  free ;  whether  pop- 
ular power  may  be  trusted,  as  well  as  feared;  in 
short,  whether  wise,  regular,  and  virtuous  self-gov- 
ernment is  a  vision  for  the  contemplation  of  the- 
orists, or  a  truth  established,  illustrated,  and 
brought  into  practice  in  the  country  of  Washington. 

The  United  States  a  Western  Sun 

Gentlemen,  for  the  earth  which  we  inhabit,  and 
the  whole  circle  of  the  sun,  for  all  the  unborn  races 
of  mankind,  we  seem  to  hold  in  our  hands,  for 
their  weal  or  woe,  the  fate  of  this  experiment.  If 
we  fail,  who  shall  venture  the  repetition?  If  our 
example  shall  prove  to  be  one  not  of  encourage- 
ment, but  of  terror,  not  fit  to  be  imitated,  but  fit 
only  to  be  shunned,  where  else  shall  the  world  look 
for  free  models?  If  this  great  Western  Sun  be 
struck  out  of  the  firmament,  at  what  other  fountain 
shall  the  lamp  of  liberty  hereafter  be  lighted? 
What  other  orb  shall  emit  a  ray  to  glimmer,  even, 
on  the  darkness  of  the  world? 

There  is  no  danger  of  our  overrating  or  over- 
stating the  important  part  which  we  are  now  acting 
in  human  affairs.  It  should  not  flatter  our  personal 
self-respect,  but  it  should  reanimate  our  patriotic 
virtues  and  inspire  us  with  a  deeper  and  more 


i;8         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

solemn  sense  both  of  our  privileges  and  of  our 
duties.  We  cannot  wish  better  for  our  country, 
nor  for  the  world,  than  that  the  same  spirit  which 
influenced  Washington  may  influence  all  who  suc- 
ceed him;  and  that  the  same  blessing  from  above, 
which  attended  his  efforts,  may  also  attend  theirs. 

Washington's  Farewell  Address 

The  principles  of  Washington's  administration 
are  not  left  doubtful.  They  are  to  be  found  in  the 
Constitution  itself,  in  the  great  measures  recom- 
mended and  approved  by  him,  in  his  speeches  to 
Congress,  and  in  that  most  interesting  paper,  his 
Farewell  Address  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States.  The  success  of  the  government  under  his 
administration  is  the  highest  proof  of  the  soundness 
of  these  principles.  And,  after  an  experience  of 
thirty-five  years,  what  is  there  which  an  enemy 
could  condemn?  What  is  there  which  either  his 
friends,  or  the  friends  of  the  country,  could  wish 
to  have  been  otherwise?  I  speak,  of  course,  of 
great  measures  and  leading  principles. 

In  the  first  place,  all  his  measures  were  right  in 
their  intent.  He  stated  the  whole  basis  of  his  own 
great  character,  when  he  told  the  country,  in  the 
homely  phrase  of  the  proverb,  that  honesty  is  the 
best  policy.  One  of  the  most  striking  things  ever 
said  of  him  is,  that  "  he  changed  mankind's  ideas 
of  political  greatness"  *  To  commanding  talents, 

*A  remark  by  Fisher  Ames  (1758-1808),  of  Massachu- 
setts,—perhaps  the  extremes!  Federalist  of  his  time. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  179 

and  to  success,  the  common  elements  of  such  great- 
ness, he  added  a  disregard  of  self,  a  spotlessness  of 
motive,  a  steady  submission  to  every  public  and  pri- 
vate duty,  which  threw  far  into  the  shade  the  whole 
crowd  of  vulgar  great.  The  object  of  his  regard 
was  the  whole  country.  No  part  of  it  was  enough 
to  fill  his  enlarged  patriotism.  His  love  of  glory, 
so  far  as  that  may  be  supposed  to  have  influenced 
him  at  all,  spurned  everything  short  of  general  ap- 
probation. It  would  have  been  nothing  to  him 
that  his  partisans  or  his  favorites  outnumbered,  or 
outvoted,  or  outmanaged,  or  outclamored,  those  of 
other  leaders.  He  had  no  favorites;  he  rejected  all 
partisanship ;  and,  acting  honestly  for  the  universal 
good,  he  deserved,  what  he  so  richly  enjoyed,  the 
universal  love. 

His  principle  it  was  to  act  right,  and  to  trust  the 
people  for  support;  his  principle  it  was  not  to  fol- 
low the  lead  of  sinister  and  selfish  ends,  nor  to  rely 
on  the  little  arts  of  party  delusion  to  obtain  public 
sanction  for  such  a  course.  Born  for  his  country 
and  for  the  world,  he  did  not  give  up  to  party  what 
was  meant  for  mankind.  The  consequence  is,  that 
his  fame  is  as  durable  as  his  principles,  as  lasting 
as  truth  and  virtue  themselves.  While  the  hun- 
dreds whom  party  excitement,  and  temporary  cir- 
cumstances, and  casual  combinations,  have  raised 
into  transient  notoriety,  sink  again,  like  thin  bubbles, 
bursting  and  dissolving  into  the  great  ocean,  Wash- 
ington's fame  is  like  the  rock  which  bounds  that 
ocean,  and  at  whose  feet  its  billows  are  destined  to 
break  harmlessly  forever, 


180        WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

His  Conduct  of  America's  Foreign  Relations 

The  maxims  upon  which  Washington  conducted 
our  foreign  relations  were  few  and  simple.  The 
first  was  an  entire  and  indisputable  impartiality 
towards  foreign  States.1  He  adhered  to  this  rule 
of  public  conduct,  against  very  strong  inducements 
to  depart  from  it,  and  when  the  popularity  of  the 
moment  seemed  to  favor  such  a  departure.  In  the 
next  place,  he  maintained  true  dignity  and  unsullied 
honor  in  all  communications  with  foreign  States. 
It  was  among  the  high  duties  devolved  upon  him  to 
introduce  our  new  government  into  the  circle  of 
civilized  States  and  powerful  nations.  Not  ar- 
rogant or  assuming,  with  no  unbecoming  or  super- 
cilious bearing,  he  yet  exacted  for  it  from  all 
others  entire  and  punctilious  respect.  He  de- 
manded, and  he  obtained  at  once,  a  standing  of 
perfect  equality  for  his  country  in  the  society  of 
nations ;  nor  was  there  a  prince  or  potentate  of  his 
day,  whose  personal  character  carried  with  it,  into 
the  intercourse  of  other  States,  a  greater  degree  of 
respect  and  veneration. 

He  regarded  other  nations  only  as  they  stood  in 
political  relations  to  us.  With  their  internal  af- 
fairs, their  political  parties  and  dissensions,  he 
scrupulously  abstained  from  all  interference;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  he  repelled  with  spirit  all  such 
interference  by  others  with  us  or  our  concerns.  His 

1  The  famous  phrase,  "  honest  friendship  with  all  nations, 
entangling  alliances  with  none,"  was  not  Washington's  but 
Jefferson's. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  181 

sternest  rebuke,  the  most  indignant  measure  of  his 
whole  administration,  was  aimed  against  such  an 
attempted  interference.  He  felt  it  as  an  attempt 
to  wound  the  national  honor,  and  resented  it  ac- 
cordingly. 

Foreign  Influence  a  Foe  of  Republican  Government 

The  reiterated  admonitions  in  his  Farewell  Ad- 
dress show  his  deep  fears  that  foreign  influence 
would  insinuate  itself  into  our  counsels  through  the 
channels  of  domestic  dissension,  and  obtain  a  sym- 
pathy with  our  own  temporary  parties.  Against  all 
such  dangers  he  most  earnestly  entreats  the  country 
to  guard  itself.  He  appeals  to  its  patriotism,  to  its 
self-respect,  to  its  own  honor,  to  every  considera- 
tion connected  with  its  welfare  and  happiness,  to 
resist,  at  the  very  beginning,  all  tendencies  toward 
such  connection  of  foreign  interests  with  our  own 
affairs.  With  a  tone  of  earnestness  nowhere  else 
found,  even  in  his  last  affectionate  farewell  advice 
to  his  countrymen,  he  says,  "  Against  the  insidious 
wiles  of  foreign  influence,  (I  conjure  you  to  be- 
lieve me,  fellow-citizens,)  the  jealousy  of  a  free 
people  ought  to  be  constantly  awake;  since  history 
and  experience  prove  that  foreign  influence  is  one 
of  the  most  baneful  foes  of  republican  government." 

The  Advantages  of  American  Isolation 

Lastly,  on  the  subject  of  foreign  relations,  Wash- 
ington never  forgot  that  we  had  interests  peculiar 
to  ourselves.  The  primary  political  concerns  of 


182         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Europe,  he  saw,  did  not  affect  us.  We  had  nothing 
to  do  with  her  balance  of  power,  her  family  com- 
pacts, or  her  successions  to  thrones.  We  were 
placed  in  a  condition  favorable  to  neutrality  during 
European  wars,  and  to  the  enjoyment  of  all  the 
great  advantages  of  that  relation.  "  Why,  then," 
he  asks  us,  "  why  forego  the  advantages  of  so  pe- 
culiar a  situation?  Why  quit  our  own  to  stand 
upon  foreign  ground?  Why,  by  interweaving  our 
destiny  with  that  of  any  part  of  Europe,  entangle 
our  peace  and  prosperity  in  the  toils  of  European 
ambition,  rivalship,  interest,  humor,  or  caprice  ? " 
Indeed,  Gentlemen,  Washington's  Farewell  Ad- 
dress is  full  of  truths  important  at  all  times,  and 
particularly  deserving  consideration  at  the  present. 
With  a  sagacity  which  brought  the  future  before 
him,  and  made  it  like  the  present,  he  saw  and 
pointed  out  the  dangers  that  even  at  this  moment 
most  imminently  threaten  us.  I  hardly  know  how  a 
greater  service  of  that  kind  could  now  be  done  to 
the  community,  than  by  a  renewed  and  wide  dif- 
fusion of  that  admirable  paper,  and  an  earnest  invi- 
tation to  every  man  in  the  country  to  reperuse  and 
consider  it.  Its  political  maxims  are  invaluable ;  its 
exhortations  to  love  of  country  and  to  brotherly  af- 
fection among  citizens,  touching;  and  the  solemnity 
with  which  it  urges  the  observance  of  moral  duties, 
and  impresses  the  power  of  religious  obligation, 
gives  to  it  the  highest  character  of  truly  disinter- 
ested, sincere,  parental  advice. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  183 

Washington's  Domestic  Policy 

The  domestic  policy  of  Washington  found  its 
pole-star  in  the  avowed  objects  of  the  Constitution 
itself.  He  sought  so  to  administer  that  Constitution 
as  to  form  more  perfect  union,  establish  justice,  in- 
sure domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the  common 
defense,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the 
blessings  of  liberty.  These  were  objects  interest- 
ing in  the  highest  degree,  to  the  whole  country,  and 
his  policy  embraced  the  whole  country. 

Among  his  earliest  and  most  important  duties  was 
the  organization  of  the  government  itself,  the  choice 
of  his  confidential  advisers,  and  the  various  appoint- 
ments to  office.  This  duty,  so  important  and  del- 
icate, when  a  whole  government  was  to  be  organ- 
ized, and  all  its  offices  for  the  first  time  filled,  was 
yet  not  difficult  to  him,  for  he  had  no  sinister  ends 
to  accomplish,  no  clamorous  partisans  to  gratify, 
no  pledges  to  redeem,  no  object  to  be  regarded  but 
simply  the  public  good.  It  was  a  plain,  straightfor- 
ward matter,  a  mere  honest  choice  of  good  men  for 
the  public  service. 

His  First  Cabinet 

His  own  singleness  of  purpose,  his  disinterested 
patriotism,  were  evinced  by  the  selection  of  his  first 
cabinet,  and  by  the  manner  in  which  he  filled  the 
seats  of  justice,  and  other  places  of  high  trust. 
He  sought  for  men  fit  for  offices;  not  for  offices 
which  might  suit  them.  Above  personal  considera- 
tions, above  local  considerations,  above  party  con- 


184        WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

siderations,  he  felt  that  he  could  only  discharge  the 
sacred  trust  which  the  country  had  placed  in  his 
hands,  by  a  diligent  inquiry  after  real  merit,  and  a 
conscientious  preference  of  virtue  and  talent.  The 
whole  country  was  the  field  of  his  selection.  He 
explored  that  whole  field,  looking  only  for  whatever 
it  contained  most  worthy  and  distinguished.  He 
was,  indeed,  most  successful,  and  he  deserved  suc- 
cess for  the  purity  of  his  motives,  the  liberality  of 
his  sentiments,  and  his  enlarged  and  manly  policy. 

Important  Measures  of  His  Administrations 

Washington's  administration  established  the  na- 
tional credit,  made  provision  for  the  public  debt, 
and  for  that  patriotic  army  whose  interests  and 
welfare  were  always  so  dear  to  him;  and,  by  laws 
wisely  framed,  and  of  admirable  effect,  raised  the 
commerce  and  navigation  of  the  country,  almost  at 
once,  from  depression  and  ruin  to  a  state  of  pros- 
perity. Nor  were  his  eyes  open  to  these  interests 
alone.  He  viewed  with  equal  concern  its  agricul- 
ture and  manufactures,  and,  so  far  as  they  came 
within  the  regular  exercise  of  the  powers  of  this 
government,  they  experienced  regard  and  favor. 

It  should  not  be  omitted,  even  in  this  slight  refer- 
ence to  the  general  measures  and  general  principles 
of  the  First  President,  that  he  saw  and  felt  the  full 
value  and  importance  of  the  judicial  department 
of  the  government.  An  upright  and  able  admin- 
istration of  the  laws  he  held  to  be  alike  indis- 
pensable to  private  happiness  and  public  liberty. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  185 

The  temple  of  justice,  in  his  opinion,  was  a  sacred 
place,  and  he  would  profane  and  pollute  it  who 
should  call  any  to  minister  in  it,  not  spotless  in 
character,  not  incorruptible  in  integrity,  not  com- 
petent by  talent  and  learning,  not  a  fit  object  of  un- 
hesitating trust. 

His  Opinion  of  the  Dangers  of  Party  Spirit 

Among  other  admonitions  Washington  has  left 
us,  in  his  last  communication  to  his  country,  an  ex- 
hortation against  the  excesses  of  party  spirit.  A 
fire  not  to  be  quenched,  he  yet  conjures  us  not  to 
fan  and  feed  the  flame.  Undoubtedly,  Gentlemen, 
it  is  the  greatest  danger  of  our  system  and  of  our 
time.  Undoubtedly,  if  that  system  should  be  over- 
thrown, it  will  be  the  work  of  excessive  party  spirit, 
acting  on  the  government,  which  is  dangerous 
enough,  or  acting  in  the  government,  which  is  a 
thousand  times  more  dangerous;  for  government 
then  becomes  nothing  but  organized  party,  and,  in 
the  strange  vicissitudes  of  human  affairs,  it  may 
come  at  last,  perhaps,  to  exhibit  the  singular  para- 
dox of  government  itself  being  in  opposition  to  its 
own  powers,  at  war  with  the  very  elements  of  its 
own  existence.  Such  cases  are  hopeless.  As  men 
may  be  protected  against  murder,  but  cannot  be 
guarded  against  suicide,  so  government  may  be 
shielded  from  the  assaults  of  external  foes,  but 
nothing  can  save  it  when  it  chooses  to  lay  violent 
hands  on  itself. 


186         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 
His  Love  of  the  Union 

Finally,  Gentlemen,  there  was  in  the  breast  of 
Washington  one  sentiment  so  deeply  felt,  so  con- 
stantly uppermost,  that  no  proper  occasion  escaped 
without  its  utterance.  From  the  letter  which  he 
signed  in  behalf  of  the  Convention  when  the  Con- 
stitution was  sent  out  to  the  people,  to  the  moment 
when  he  put  his  hand  to  that  last  paper  in  which 
he  addressed  his  countrymen,  the  Union, — the 
Union  was  the  great  object  of  his  thoughts.  In 
that  first  letter  he  tells  them  that  to  him  and  his 
brethren  of  the  Convention,  union  appears  to  be 
the  greatest  interest  of  every  true  American ;  and  in 
that  last  paper  he  conjures  them  to  regard  that 
unity  of  government  which  constitutes  them  one 
people  as  the  very  palladium  of  their  prosperity  and 
safety,  and  the  security  of  liberty  itself.  He  re- 
garded the  union  of  these  States  less  as  one  of  our 
blessings,  than  as  the  great  treasure-house  which 
contained  them  all.  Here,  in  his  judgment,  was  the 
great  magazine  of  all  our  means  of  prosperity ;  here, 
as  he  thought,  and  as  every  true  American  still 
thinks,  are  deposited  all  our  animating  prospects, 
all  our  solid  hopes  for  future  greatness.  He  has 
taught  us  to  maintain  this  union,  not  by  seeking  to 
enlarge  the  powers  of  the  government,  on  the  one 
hand,  nor  by  surrendering  them,  on  the  other;  but 
by  an  administration  of  them  at  once  firm  and  mod- 
erate, pursuing  objects  truly  national,  and  carried 
on  in  a  spirit  of  justice  and  equity. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  187 

The  American  Nation  Unique 

The  extreme  solicitude  for  the  preservation  of 
the  Union,  at  all  times  manifested  by  him,  shows 
not  only  the  opinion  he  entertained  of  its  im- 
portance, but  his  clear  perception  of  those  causes 
which  were  likely  to  spring  up  to  endanger  it,  and 
which,  if  once  they  should  overthrow  the  present 
system,  would  leave  little  hope  of  any  future  bene- 
ficial reunion.  Of  all  the  presumptions  indulged  by 
presumptuous  men,  that  is  one  of  the  rashest  which 
looks  for  repeated  and  favorable  opportunities  for 
the  deliberate  establishment  of  a  united  government 
over  distinct  and  widely  extended  communities. 
Such  a  thing  has  happened  once  in  human  affairs, 
and  but  once;  the  event  stands  out  as  a  prominent 
exception  to  all  ordinary  history ;  and  unless  we  sup- 
pose ourselves  running  into  an  age  of  miracles,  we 
may  not  expect  its  repetition. 

Washington,  therefore,  could  regard,  and  did 
regard  nothing  as  a  paramount  political  interest 
but  the  integrity  of  the  Union  itself.  With  a  united 
government,  well  administered,  he  saw  that  we  had 
nothing  to  fear;  and  without  it,  nothing  to  hope. 
The  sentiment  is  just,  and  its  momentous  truth 
should  solemnly  impress  the  whole  country.  If  we 
might  regard  our  country  as  personated  in  the 
spirit  of  Washington,  if  we  might  consider  him  as 
representing  her,  in  her  past  renown,  her  present 
prosperity,  and  her  future  career,  and  as  in  that 
character  demanding  of  us  all  to  account  for  our 
conduct,  as  political  men  or  as  private  citizens,  how 


i88         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

should  he  answer  him  who  has  ventured  to  talk  of 
disunion  and  dismemberment?  Oh  how  should 
he  answer  him  who  dwells  perpetually  on  local  in- 
terests, and  fans  every  kindling  flame  of  local 
prejudice?  How  should  he  answer  him  who  would 
array  State  against  State,  interest  against  interest, 
and  party  against  party,  careless  of  the  continuance 
of  that  unity  of  government  which  constitutes  us 
one  people? 

The  political  prosperity  which  this  country  has 
attained,  and  which  it  now  enjoys,  has  been  ac- 
quired mainly  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
present  government.  While  this  agent  continues, 
the  capacity  of  attaining  to  still  higher  degrees  of 
prosperity  exists  also.  We  have,  while  this  lasts,  a 
political  life  capable  of  beneficial  exertion,  with 
power  to  resist  or  overcome  misfortunes,  to  sustain 
us  against  the  ordinary  accidents  of  human  affairs, 
and  to  promote,  by  active  efforts,  every  public  in- 
terest. But  dismemberment  strikes  at  the  very  be- 
ing which  preserves  these  faculties.  It  would  lay 
its  rude  and  ruthless  hand  on  this  great  agent  it- 
self. It  would  sweep  away,  not  only  what  we  pos- 
sess, but  all  power  of  regaining  lost,  or  acquiring 
new  possessions.  It  would  leave  the  country  not 
only  bereft  of  its  prosperity  and  happiness,  but  with- 
out limbs,  or  organs,  or  faculties,  by  which  to  exert 
itself  hereafter  in  the  pursuit  of  that  prosperity  and 
happiness. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  189 

Dismemberment  of  the  United  States  the  Greatest 
of  Evils 

Other  misfortunes  may  be  borne,  or  their  effects 
overcome.  If  disastrous  war  should  sweep  our 
commerce  from  the  ocean,  another  generation  may 
renew  it ;  if  it  exhaust  our  treasury,  future  industry 
may  replenish  it;  if  it  desolate  and  lay  waste  our 
fields,  still,  under  a  new  cultivation,  they  will  grow 
green  again,  and  ripen  to  future  harvests.  It  were 
but  a  trifle  even  if  the  walls  of  yonder  Capitol  were 
to  crumble,  if  its  lofty  pillars  should  fall,  and  its 
gorgeous  decorations  be  all  covered  by  the  dust  of 
the  valley.  All  these  might  be  rebuilt.  But  who 
shall  reconstruct  the  fabric  of  demolished  govern- 
ment? Who  shall  rear  again  the  well-proportioned 
columns  of  constitutional  liberty?  Who  shall 
frame  together  the  skillful  architecture  which  unites 
national  sovereignty  with  State  rights,  individual 
security,  and  public  prosperity?  No,  if  these  col- 
umns fall,  they  will  be  raised  not  again.  Like  the 
Coliseum  and  the  Parthenon,  they  will  be  destined 
to  a  mournful,  a  melancholy  immortality.  Bitterer 
tears,  however,  will  flow  over  them  than  were  ever 
shed  over  the  monuments  of  Roman  or  Grecian 
art;  for  they  will  be  the  remnants  of  a  more  glori- 
ous edifice  than  Greece  or  Rome  ever  saw,  the 
edifice  of  constitutional  American  liberty. 

But  let  us  hope  for  better  things.  Let  us  trust 
in  that  gracious  Being  who  has  hitherto  held  our 
country  as  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand.  Let  us  trust 
to  the  virtue  and  the  intelligence  of  the  people,  and 


190         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

to  the  efficacy  of  religious  obligation.  Let  us  trust 
to  the  influence  of  Washington's  example.  Let  us 
hope  that  that  fear  of  Heaven  which  expels  all 
other  fear,  and  that  regard  to  duty  which  transcends 
all  other  regard,  may  influence  public  men  and  pri- 
vate citizens,  and  lead  our  country  still  onward  in 
her  happy  career.  Full  of  these  gratifying  anticipa- 
tions and  hopes,  let  us  look  forward  to  the  end  of 
that  century  which  is  now  commenced.  A  hun- 
dred years  hence,  other  disciples  of  Washington 
will  celebrate  his  birth,  with  no  less  of  sincere  ad- 
miration than  we  now  commemorate  it.  When  they 
shall  meet,  as  we  now  meet,  to  do  themselves  and 
him  that  honor,  so  surely  as  they  shall  see  the  blue 
summits  of  his  native  mountains  rise  in  the  horizon, 
so  surely  as  they  shall  behold  the  river  on  whose 
banks  he  lived,  and  on  whose  banks  he  rests,  still 
flowing  on  toward  the  sea,  so  surely  may  they  see, 
as  we  now  see,  the  flag  of  the  Union  floating  on  the 
top  of  the  Capitol;  and  then,  as  now,  may  the  sun 
in  his  course  visit  no  land  more  free,  more  happy, 
more  lovely,  than  this  our  own  country! 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  191 

MOUNT  VERNON,  THE  HOME  OF 
WASHINGTON 

BY  WILLIAM  DAY 

The  following  lines  were  written  on  the  back  of  a 
picture  at  Mount  T/ernon: 

There  dwelt  the  Man,  the  flower  of  human  kind, 
Whose  visage  mild  bespoke  his  nobler  mind. 

There  dwelt  the  Soldier,  who  his  sword  ne'er  drew 
But  in  a  righteous  cause,  to  Freedom  true. 

There  dwelt  the  Hero,  who  ne'er  killed  for  fame, 
Yet  gained  more  glory  than  a  Caesar's  name. 

There  dwelt  the  Statesman,  who,  devoid  of  art, 
Gave  soundest  counsels  from  an  upright  heart; 

And,  O  Columbia,  by  thy  sons  caressed, 
There  dwelt  the  Father  of  the  realms  he  blessed; 
Who  no  wish  felt  to  make  his  mighty  praise, 
Like  other  chiefs,  the  means  himself  to  raise; 
But  there  retiring,  breathed  in  pure  renown, 
And  felt  a  grandeur  that  disdained  a  crown. 


THE  UNSELFISHNESS  OF  WASHINGTON 

BY  ROBERT  TREAT   PAINE 

To  the  pen  of  the  historian  must  be  resigned  the 
more  arduous  and  elaborate  tribute  of  justice  to 


192         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

those  efforts  of  heroic  and  political  virtue  which 
conducted  the  American  people  to  peace  and  lib- 
erty. The  vanquished  foe  retired  from  our  shores, 
and  left  to  the  controlling  genius  who  repelled  them 
the  gratitude  of  his  own  country,  and  the  admira- 
tion of  the  world.  The  time  had  now  arrived 
which  was  to  apply  the  touchstone  to  his  integrity, 
which  was  to  assay  the  affinity  of  his  principles  to 
the  standard  of  immutable  right. 

On  the  one  hand,  a  realm  to  which  he  was  en- 
deared by  his  services  almost  invited  him  to  em- 
pire; on  the  other,  the  liberty  to  whose  protection 
his  life  had  been  devoted,  was  the  ornament  and 
boon  of  human  nature. 

Washington  could  not  depart  from  his  own  great 
self.  His  country  was  free.  He  was  no  longer  a 
general.  Sublime  spectacle!  more  elevating  to  the 
pride  of  virtue  than  the  sovereignty  of  the  globe 
united  to  the  scepter  of  the  ages !  Enthroned  in  the 
hearts  of  his  countrymen,  the  gorgeous  pageantry 
of  prerogative  was  unworthy  the  majesty  of  his 
dominion.  That  effulgence  of  military  character 
which  in  ancient  states  has  blasted  the  rights  of  the 
people  whose  renown  it  had  brightened,  was  not 
here  permitted,  by  the  hero  from  whom  it  emanated, 
to  shine  with  so  destructive  a  luster.  Its  beams, 
though  intensely  resplendent,  did  not  wither  the 
young  blossoms  of  our  Independence ;  and  Liberty, 
like  the  burning  bush,  flourished,  unconsumed  by 
the  glory  which  surrounded  it. 

To  the  illustrious  founder  of  our  Republic  it 
was  reserved  to  exhibit  the  example  of  a  mag- 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  193 

nanimity  that  commanded  victory,  of  a  moderation 
that  retired  from  triumph.  Unlike  the  erratic 
meteors  of  ambition,  whose  flaming  path  sheds  a 
disastrous  light  on  the  pages  of  history,  his  bright 
orb,  eclipsing  the  luminaries  among  which  it  rolled, 
never  portended  "  fearful  change  "  to  religion,  nor 
from  its  "  golded  tresses "  shook  pestilence  on 
empire. 

What  to  other  heroes  has  been  glory,  would  to 
Washington  have  been  disgrace.  To  his  intrepidity 
it  would  have  added  no  honorary  trophy,  to  have 
waded,  like  the  conqueror  of  Peru,  through  the 
blood  of  credulous  millions,  to  plant  the  standard 
of  triumph  at  the  burning  mouth  of  a  volcano.  To 
his  fame,  it  would  have  erected  no  auxiliary  monu- 
ment to  have  invaded,  like  the  ravager  of  Egypt,  an 
innocent  though  barbarous  nation,  to  inscribe  his 
name  on  the  pillar  of  Pompey. 


THE  GENIUS  OF  WASHINGTON1 

BY  EDWIN  P.  WHIFFLE 

The  history,  so  sad  and  so  glorious,  which  chron- 
icles the  stern  struggle  in  which  our  rights  and  lib- 
erties passed  through  the  awful  baptism  of  fire  and 
blood,  is  eloquent  with  the  deeds  of  many  patriots, 
warriors,  and  statesmen;  but  these  all  fall  into  re- 

'From  "Character  and  Characteristic  Men."  Published 
by  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co. 


194         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

lations  to  one  prominent  and  commanding  figure, 
towering  up  above  the  whole  group  in  unapproach- 
able majesty,  whose  exalted  character,  warm  and 
bright  with  every  public  and  private  virtue,  and 
vital  with  the  essential  spirit  of  wisdom,  has  burst 
all  sectional  and  national  bounds,  and  made  the 
name  of  Washington  the  property  of  all  mankind. 
This  illustrious  man,  at  once  the  world's  admira- 
tion and  enigma,  we  are  taught  by  a  fine  instinct  to 
venerate,  and  by  a  wrong  opinion  to  misjudge.  The 
might  of  his  character  has  taken  strong  hold  upon 
the  feelings  of  great  masses  of  men ;  but,  in  trans- 
lating this  universal  sentiment  into  an  intelligent 
form,  the  intellectual  element  of  his  wonderful  na- 
ture is  as  much  depressed  as  the  moral  element  is 
exalted,  and  consequently  we  are  apt  to  misunder- 
stand both.  Mediocrity  has  a  bad  trick  of  idealiz- 
ing itself  in  eulogizing  him,  and  drags  him  down  to 
its  own  level  while  assuming  to  lift  him  to  the  skies. 
How  many  times  have  we  been  told  that  he  was 
not  a  man  of  genius,  but  a  person  of  "  excellent 
common  sense,"  of  "  admirable  judgment,"  of 
"  rare  virtues  " !  and,  by  a  constant  repetition  of 
this  odious  cant,  we  have  nearly  succeeded  in  di- 
vorcing comprehension  from  his  sense,  insight  from 
his  judgment,  force  from  his  virtues,  and  life  from 
the  man.  Accordingly,  in  the  panegyric  of  cold 
spirits,  Washington  disappears  in  a  cloud  of  com- 
monplaces ;  in  the  rhodomontade  of  boiling  patriots, 
he  expires  in  the  agonies  of  rant.  Now,  the  sooner 
this  bundle  of  mediocre  talents  and  moral  qualities, 
which  its  contrivers  have  the  audacity  to  call  George 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  195 

Washington,  is  hissed  out  of  existence,  the  better 
it  will  be  for  the  cause  of  talent  and  the  cause  of 
morals ;  contempt  of  that  is  the  condition  of  insight. 
He  had  no  genius,  it  seems.  O  no!  genius,  we 
must  suppose,  is  the  peculiar  and  shining  attribute 
of  some  orator,  whose  tongue  can  spout  patriotic 
speeches,  or  some  versifier,  whose  muse  can  "  Hail 
Columbia,"  but  not  of  the  man  who  supported 
states  on  his  arm,  and  carried  America  in  his  brain. 
The  madcap  Charles  Townshend,  the  motion  of 
whose  pyrotechnic  mind  was  like  the  whiz  of  a 
hundred  rockets,  is  a  man  of  genius ;  but  George 
Washington  raised  up  above  the  level  of  even  emi- 
nent statesmen,  and  with  a  nature  moving  with  the 
still  and  orderly  celerity  of  a  planet  round  the  sun, 
— he  dwindles,  in  comparison,  into  a  kind  of  angelic 
dunce!  What  is  genius?  Is  it  worth  anything. 
Is  splendid  folly  the  measure  of  its  inspiration  ?  Is 
wisdom  that  which  it  recedes  from,  or  tends 
towards?  And  by  what  definition  do  you  award 
the  name  to  the  creator  of  an  epic,  and  deny  it  to 
the  creator  of  a  country  ?  On  what  principle  is  it  to 
be  lavished  on  him  who  sculptures  in  perishing 
marble  the  image  of  possible  excellence,  and  with- 
held from  him  who  built  up  in  himself  a  transcend- 
ent character  indestructible  as  the  obligations  of 
Duty,  and  beautiful  as  her  rewards? 

Indeed,  if  by  the  genius  of  action  you  mean  will 
enlightened  by  intelligence,  and  intelligence  ener- 
gized by  will, — if  force  and  insight  be  its  char- 
acteristics, and  influence  its  test, — and,  especially,  if 
great  effects  suppose  a  cause  proportionately  great, 


196         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

that  is,  a  vital  causative  mind, — then  is  Washing- 
ton most  assuredly  a  man  of  genius,  and  one  whom 
no  other  American  has  equaled  in  the  power  of 
working  morally  and  mentally  on  other  minds.  His 
genius,  it  is  true,  was  of  a  peculiar  kind,  the  genius 
of  character,  of  thought,  and  the  objects  of  thought 
solidified  and  concentrated  into  active  faculty.  He 
belongs  to  that  rare  class  of  men, — rare  as  Homers 
and  Miltons,  rare  as  Platos  and  Newtons,  who  have 
impressed  their  characters  upon  nations  without 
pampering  national  vices.  Such  men  have  natures 
broad  enough  to  include  all  the  facts  of  a  people's 
practical  life,  and  deep  enough  to  discern  the 
spiritual  laws  which  underlie,  animate,  and  govern 
those  facts.  Washington,  in  short,  had  that  great- 
ness of  character  which  is  the  highest  expression 
and  last  result  of  greatness  of  mind;  for  there  is 
no  method  of  building  up  character  except  through 
mind.  Indeed,  character  like  his  is  not  built  up, 
stone  upon  stone,  precept  upon  precept,  but  grows 
up,  through  an  actual  contact  of  thought  with 
things, — the  assimilative  mind  transmuting  the  im- 
palpable but  potent  spirit  of  public  sentiment,  and 
the  life  of  visible  facts,  and  the  power  of  spiritual 
laws,  into  individual  life  and  power,  so  that  their 
mighty  energies  put  on  personality,  as  it  were,  and 
act  through  one  centralizing  human  will.  This 
process  may  not,  if  you  please,  make  the  great  phi- 
losopher or  the  great  poet;  but  it  does  make  the 
great  man, — the  man  in  whom  thought  and  judg- 
ment seem  identical  with  volition, — the  man  whose 
vital  expression  is  not  in  words,  but  deeds, — the 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  197 

man  whose  sublime  ideas  issue  necessarily  in 
sublime  acts,  not  in  sublime  art.  It  was  because 
Washington's  character  was  thus  composed  of  the 
inmost  substance  and  power  of  facts  and  principles, 
that  men  instinctively  felt  the  perfect  reality  of  his 
comprehensive  manhood.  This  reality  enforced 
universal  respect,  married  strength  to  repose,  and 
threw  into  his  face  that  commanding  majesty  which 
made  men  of  the  speculative  audacity  of  Jefferson, 
and  the  lucid  genius  of  Hamilton,  recognize,  with 
unwonted  meekness,  his  awful  superiority. 


WASHINGTON'S  SERVICE  TO  EDUCATION 

BY  CHARLES  W.  E.  CHAPIN 

Washington's  ideas  concerning  education  have 
the  approval  of  educators  of  our  day.  He  was  in 
advance  of  his  age;  it  is  a  question  if  we  have 
quite  caught  up  with  him.  Of  the  two  plans  of  his 
mature  years  and  ripened  experience,  one  has  been 
realized,  the  West  Point  idea,  which  brings  to- 
gether, from  every  State  and  Territory  of  the 
Union,  young  men  to  be  trained  for  military  service ; 
that  other  plan  of  a  National  University,  with 
schools  of  administration  and  statesmanship,  is  yet 
being  considered. 

Washington  shared  neither  the  least  nor  the  most 
of  the  educational  advantages  of  his  colony.  The 
elder  brothers,  Lawrence  and  Augustine,  had 


198         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

realized  their  father's  hopes,  and  had  been  sent  to 
England  for  their  schooling  as  he  had  been  for 
his,  but  the  early  death  of  the  father  defeated  that 
plan  for  George,  so  he  obtained  the  early  prepara- 
tion for  his  life  work  from  the  "  home  university," 
over  which  Mary  Washington  presided,  a  loving 
and  wise  head.  At  times  George  was  with  his 
brother  Augustine  at  Bridges  Creek,  to  be  near 
the  best  parish  school,  and  then  he  was  at  home; 
but  all  the  time  he  was  advancing  rapidly  in  that 
school  of  men  and  affairs.  "  He  was  above  all 
things  else,  a  capable,  executive  boy,"  says  Woodrow 
Wilson  in  his  biography.  "  He  loved  mastery  and 
he  relished  acquiring  the  most  effective  means  of 
mastery  in  all  practical  affairs.  His  very  exercise 
books,  used  at  school,  gave  proof  of  it."  As  he 
did  these  things  with  care  and  industry,  so  he  fol- 
lowed with  zest  the  spirited  diversions  of  the  hunt 
and  the  life  in  fields  and  forests.  Very  early  he  put 
his  knowledge  of  the  surveyor's  art  to  practical  test, 
and  applied  the  chain  and  logarithm  to  the  reaches 
of  the  family  lands.  His  skill  came  to  the  notice 
of  Lord  Fairfax,  who  wished  to  know  the  extent 
of  the  lands  he  had  inherited  in  the  New  World. 
Washington,  though  but  sixteen,  was  equal  to  the 
task;  in  a  month's  time,  after  fording  swollen 
streams  and  penetrating  the  forests,  he  presented  to 
Lord  Fairfax  maps  and  figures  which  showed  him 
the  extent  and  boundaries  of  his  estate.  For  three 
years  Washington  followed  this  fascinating  yet  per- 
ilous work,  and  then,  being  strongly  recommended 
by  Lord  Fairfax,  and  himself  being  able  to  show 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  1199 

in  clear,  round  style  his  mastery  of  the  art  and 
science  of  surveying,  he  received  in  1748  from  the 
President  of  William  and  Mary  College  the  appoint- 
ment as  official  surveyor  for  Culpeper  County ;  such 
a  certificate  was  equivalent  to  a  degree  of  civil  en- 
gineer in  those  days. 

Thus  from  an  institution  of  higher  learning, 
George  Washington  received  the  first  public  recog- 
nition of  service,  and  of  merit.  It  was  the  turning 
point  in  his  life;  it  opened  up  fully  the  path  to 
those  experiences  which  equipped  him  for  that  ef- 
ficient service  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and 
the  Revolution. 

The  honorable  position  of  Chancellor  had  been 
held  by  the  Bishops  of  London  from  the  foundation 
of  the  College  in  1693  to  the  Revolution.  The  old 
statute  defining  the  duties  of  the  office  is  interest- 
ing :  "  The  Chancellor  is  to  be  the  Maecenas,  or 
patron  of  the  College;  such  a  one  as  by  his  favor 
with  the  King  and  by  his  interest  with  all  other 
persons  in  England  may  be  enabled  to  help  in  all  the 
College  affairs.  His  advice  is  to  be  taken,  espe- 
cially in  such  arduous  and  momentous  affairs  as 
the  College  shall  have  to  do  in  England.  If  the 
College  has  any  petitions  at  any  time  to  the  King, 
let  them  be  presented  by  the  Chancellor."  We  can 
imagine  a  grim  smile  on  Washington's  countenance 
as  he  read  the  provisions  made  concerning  the  func- 
tions of  his  office,  especially  that  of  conferring  with 
the  King. 

In  his  letter  to  Samuel  Griffin,  Esq.,  Rector  of  the 
College,  accepting  his  appointment,  he  says :  "  In- 


200         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

fluenced  by  a  heartfelt  desire  to  promote  the  cause 
of  science  in  general  and  the  prosperity  of  the  Col- 
lege of  William  and  Mary  in  particular,  I  accept 
the  office  of  Chancellor  in  the  same,  and  request 
you  will  be  pleased  to  give  official  notice  thereof  to 
the  learned  body  who  have  thought  proper  to  honor 
me  with  the  appointment.  I  confide  fully  in  their 
strenuous  endeavors  for  placing  the  system  of  edu- 
cation on  such  a  basis  as  will  render  it  most  bene- 
ficial to  the  State,  and  the  Republic  of  letters,  as 
well  as  to  the  more  extensive  interests  of  humanity 
and  religion."  This  call  to  the  leadership  of  edu- 
cation in  his  own  State  antedated  his  election  to 
the  Presidency  of  the  new  Republic  by  a  year,  and 
he  continued  in  that  service  to  the  College  of 
William  and  Mary  until  the  close  of  his  life. 

About  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  the  State  of 
Maryland  began  to  broaden  its  educational  institu- 
tions. The  School  of  Kent  County  at  Chestertown 
was  placed  in  1780  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
William  Smith,  the  minister  of  the  parish  who  had 
been  President  of  the  College  of  Philadelphia  until 
its  charter  was  revoked.  Dr.  Smith  conducted  the 
Academy  at  Chestertown  with  great  energy  and 
ability,  and  in  1782  the  Visitors  of  the  Academy 
asked  that  it  be  made  a  college ;  the  legislature  made 
provision  that  when  a  total  endowment  of  five  thou- 
sand pounds  currency  should  be  provided  for  the 
school,  it  should  be  incorporated  into  a  college, 
with  enlarged  courses  of  study  and  suitable  pro- 
fessors, and  should  be  denominated  Washington 
College,  "  in  honorable  and  perpetual  memory  of 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  201 

his  Excellency,  General  Washington,  the  illustrious 
and  virtuous  Commander-in-Chief,  of  the  armies  of 
the  United  States."  In  five  months  the  energetic 
trustees  raised  $14,000;  Washington  contributed 
fifty  guineas.  The  College  was  at  once  incor- 
porated, and  in  the  following  year,  at  its  first  com- 
mencement, its  endowment  had  increased  to  $28,000. 
It  was  the  first  college  in  Maryland;  Washington 
was  elected  as  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Vis- 
itors, but  being  with  the  army  at  Newburgh,  was 
unable  to  take  his  place  on  the  Board,  until  the 
second  commencement  of  the  College  in  1784.  Five 
years  later,  the  College  bestowed  upon  Washington 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws;  his  letter  of  ac- 
knowledgment expressed  the  sentiment  that,  "  in 
civilized  societies  the  welfare  of  the  state  and  the 
happiness  of  the  people  are  advanced  or  retarded  in 
proportion  as  the  morals  and  education  of  the  youth 
are  attended  to.  I  cannot  forbear  on  this  occasion 
to  express  the  satisfaction  which  I  feel  on  seeing 
the  increase  of  our  seminaries  of  learning  through 
the  extensive  country,  and  the  general  wish  which 
seems  to  prevail  for  establishing  and  maintaining 
these  valuable  institutions."  The  old  College  has 
suffered  by  fire,  and  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  yet 
it  has  lived  through  the  years,  and  is  to-day  doing  a 
prosperous  and  noble  work. 

The  Potomac  and  Virginia  Company,  and  the 
James  River  Company  were  among  those  organiza- 
tions for  transportation  which  Washington  aided 
for  the  opening  up  of  the  country.  There  was  a 
recognition  of  his  services  to  the  country,  and  the 


202         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

legislature  of  Virginia  in  1785,  through  Patrick 
Henry,  then  Governor,  gave  Washington  fifty 
shares  in  the  Potomac  and  Virginia  Company,  and 
one  hundred  shares  in  the  James  River  Company. 
Washington  replied  that  he  had  resolutely  shut  his 
hand  against  every  pecuniary  recompense  during 
the  revolutionary  struggle;  and  that  he  could  not 
change  that  position.  He  added  that,  if  the  legis- 
lature would  allow  him  to  turn  the  gifts  from  his 
own  private  emolument  to  objects  of  a  public  na- 
ture, he  would  endeavor  to  select  objects  which 
would  meet  the  most  enlightened  and  patriotic  views 
of  the  Assembly  of  Virginia.  The  proposition  met 
with  hearty  approval,  and  Washington  held  the 
stock  in  both  companies,  awaiting  the  time  when 
proper  and  worthy  objects  should  be  found  for  the 
benefactions. 

In  1785  he  proposed  to  Edmund  Randolph  and 
Thomas  Jefferson,  that  the  revenue  of  the  stock 
in  those  companies  be  used  for  the  establishment  of 
two  schools,  one  upon  each  river,  for  the  education 
of  poor  children,  particularly  those  whose  parents 
had  fallen  in  the  struggle  for  liberty.  The  idea  was 
a  noble  one,  yet  Washington's  call  to  the  large 
service  of  the  College  of  William  and  Mary  as  its 
Chancellor,  and  to  the  country  as  its  President,  pre- 
vented him  from  carrying  it  out.  He  carried  out 
the  spirit  of  his  idea  by  giving  fifty  pounds  a  year 
for  the  instruction  of  poor  children  in  Alexandria, 
and  by  making  large  provision  for  the  education  of 
the  sons  of  soldiers.  In  1783  he  honored  a  Prince- 
ton commencement  by  his  presence,  and  bestowed 


THE  WHOLE  MAN 


203 


upon  the  College  a  gift  of  fifty  pounds.  A  tour 
through  Georgia  in  1790  gave  him  opportunity  to 
visit  and  approve  of  the  Academy  of  Augusta. 
About  the  same  time  the  indomitable  Kirkland,  mis- 
sionary to  the  Iroquois,  was  trying  every  source 
of  influence  and  money  in  behalf  of  an  academy  in 
Oneida  County,  New  York,  to  be  located  near  the 
old  Property  Line,  where  both  the  sons  of  the 
settlers  and  the  children  of  the  forest  might  be  edu- 
cated. His  visit  to  Philadelphia  secured  a  gener- 
ous benefaction  from  Washington,  and  at  the  same 
time  his  influence  and  that  of  others,  so  that 
Congress  appropriated  $15,000  yearly  to  "  in- 
struct the  Iroquois  in  agriculture  and  the  useful 
arts." 

Washington  had  now  matured  his  idea  of  a  na- 
tional university.  He  was  ready  to  lay  it  before 
the  country,  and  to  be  the  first  contributor  to  its 
endowment.  Virginia  was  taking  new  interest  in 
its  schools  and  the  influence  of  William  and  Mary 
College  was  widening:  there  was  a  demand  for 
more  thoroughly  equipped  academies.  The  school 
at  Augusta,  which  the  Revolution  had  been  the 
means  of  christening  Liberty  Hall,  had  become 
prominent.  In  1796  Washington  settled  upon  Lib- 
erty Hall  as  the  proper  recipient  of  the  one  hun- 
dred shares  in  the  James  River  Company  to  aug- 
ment its  endowment.  In  accepting  the  gift  the 
name  of  the  academy  was  changed,  and  the  trustees 
were  able  to  sign  themselves,  "  the  trustees  of 
Washington  Academy,  late  Liberty  Hall."  Wash- 
ington was  greatly  touched  by  the  honor,  and 


204         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

ascribed  his  ability  to  make  the  donation  to  "  the 
generosity  of  the  Legislature  of  the  Commonwealth 
of  Virginia." 

The  institution  prospered.  About  1802  a  new 
charter  was  granted  with  larger  powers,  under  the 
name  of  Washington  College.  John  Robinson,  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution  under  Washington,  gave, 
in  emulation  of  his  illustrious  commander,  his  entire 
estate  to  Washington  College;  from  it  the  trustees 
realized  $40,000  toward  the  endowment.  The  stock 
of  the  James  River  Company,  which  Washington 
transferred  to  the  College,  to-day  yields  an  in- 
come of  six  per  cent,  on  $50,000,  and,  after  prosper- 
ing years,  the  College  has  now  a  productive  endow- 
ment of  $600,000,  and  a  property  worth  $800,000. 
The  country  has  passed  through  many  critical  peri- 
ods since  Washington's  day,  and  the  Union  is 
stronger  than  ever.  The  old  College  is  a  witness 
to  the  all-healing  power  of  time  and  kinship,  for  its 
name  has  again  been  added  to:  it  is  Washington 
and  Lee  University  now;  and  thus  is  joined  with 
the  name  of  the  Father  of  His  Country  the  name  of 
one  whom  the  South  has  ever  loved,  whom  the 
North  long  since  forgave,  and  whose  memory  the 
country  will  ever  cherish. 

The  Revolutionary  War  was  a  costly  experiment 
of  education  in  military  affairs  in  the  field;  it  cost 
heavily  in  blood  and  treasure.  Washington  realized 
that  preparation  for  service  in  the  army  must  be 
had  in  military  schools. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  war  until  the 
end  of  his  life,  by  official  message  and  by  letter, 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  205 

Washington  urged  the  importance  of  military  in- 
struction. In  his  message  to  Congress  in  1796  he 
said :  "  The  institution  of  a  military  academy  is 
recommended  by  cogent  reasons.  However  pacific 
the  general  policy  of  a  nation  may  be,  it  ought  never 
to  be  without  an  adequate  stock  of  military 
knowledge  for  emergencies.  In  proportion  as  the 
observance  from  the  necessity  of  practicing  the  rules 
of  the  military  art,  ought  to  be  its  care  in  preserv- 
ing and  transmitting  by  proper  establishments  the 
knowledge  of  that  art.  A  thorough  examination  of 
the  subject  will  evince  that  the  art  of  war  is  ex- 
tensive and  complicated;  that  it  demands  much 
previous  study;  and  that  the  possession  of  it  in 
its  most  important  and  perfect  state  is  always  of 
great  moment  to  the  security  of  a  nation."  Con- 
gress did  make  provision  for  the  carrying  out  of 
many  of  the  President's  recommendations;  it 
created  a  new  grade  in  the  army,  that  of  Cadet,  to 
which  young  men  exclusively  were  admitted,  and 
money  was  appropriated  for  their  education  in  the 
science  of  war  that  they  might  be  prepared  for  posi- 
tions of  command.  But  Congress  delayed  the  po- 
tential part  of  the  plan;  it  did  not  collect  the  regi- 
ment of  artillerists  and  engineers  at  a  single  sta- 
tion, nor  did  it  erect  buildings  for  the  uses  of  edu- 
cation. 

The  idea  did  not  die ;  in  1802  Congress  made  the 
first  of  those  provisions  for  a  military  academy 
with  the  plan  and  scope  which  Washington  had  so 
persistently  urged.  West  Point  was  chosen  as  the 
place  of  its  location.  That  academy  has  more 


206         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

than  once  demonstrated  the  wisdom  of  the  far- 
seeing  Washington. 

West  Point  is  the  realization  of  Washington's 
plans  for  a  national  school  of  military  instruction. 
To-day  it  represents  to  the  country  the  important 
features  of  that  plan  for  a  National  University.  By 
his  last  will  and  testament,  Washington  bequeathed 
the  fifty  shares  of  stock  in  the  Potomac  Company 
to  the  establishment  of  a  National  University  in  the 
central  part  of  the  United  States;  he  made  provi- 
sion that  until  such  a  university  should  be  founded 
the  fund  should  be  self -accumulating  by  the  use  of 
the  dividends  in  the  purchase  of  more  stock,  to  still 
further  augment  the  endowment  fund.  In  the 
transfers  and  changes  of  commercial  life  apparent 
record  of  that  stock  has  been  lost,  yet  that  last 
will  bequeathed  an  ideal  which  in  indirect  ways  is 
still  inspiring  our  national  educational  system. 

Let  us  take  our  place  by  the  side  of  a  student 
of  our  national  history  and  institutions,  as  after  a 
walk  through  the  buildings  across  that  noble  plain 
at  West  Point  he  sits  down  to  meditate,  on  the 
granite  steps  of  the  "  Battle  Monument."  He  is 
where  the  history  of  yesterday  abides,  but  about  him 
is  represented  the  strength  and  life  of  the  nation, 
and  the  strong  military  figures  of  officers,  cadets, 
and  soldiers  from  every  section  of  our  country.  He 
feels  the  wisdom  of  that  great  desire  of  Washing- 
ton's that  the  life  and  thought  of  the  widely  sep- 
arated sections  of  the  rising  empire  should  become 
homogeneous  and  unified  by  the  meeting  of  the 
young  men  of  the  land  in  a  central  school,  during 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  207 

the  years  of  training  for  the  country's  service  at 
arms.  This  student  of  history  would  feel  how  that 
hope  had  been  fulfilled  by  the  loyal  service  which 
the  sons  of  West  Point  to  so  large  a  degree  rendered 
the  Union  in  its  days  of  peril ;  and  with  deep  grati- 
tude would  he  acknowledge  that  enthusiastic  loy- 
alty with  which  the  North  and  South,  the  East  and 
West,  as  represented  at  West  Point  and  throughout 
the  country,  rushed  to  its  service  to  release  those 
islands  of  the  sea  from  the  thraldom  and  tyranny 
of  a  medieval  monarchy. 

Then  the  vista  of  the  future  would  open  before 
him,  and  he  would  see  that  larger  hope  and  plan 
of  Washington's  realized  in  the  city  of  his  name. 
There  in  that  center  in  the  Nation's  life  he  would 
see  young  men  assembling  in  the  national  schools 
of  administration,  commerce,  consular  service,  and 
finance,  to  study  questions  of  government  and  in- 
ternational relations.  He  would  see  reaching  to 
all  the  lands  of  earth  a  peace  more  beautiful  than 
that  of  the  river  below  him ;  and  wider  and  deeper 
than  that  Western  ocean  where  now  is  flying  our 
flag  of  hope  and  promise. 


208         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 


ADDRESS  AT  THE  DEDICATION  OF  THE 
WASHINGTON  MONUMENT 

BY  JOHN   W.  DANIEL 

Delivered  in  the  Hall  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, February  21,  1885 

Mr.  President  of  the  United  States,  Senators, 
Representatives,  Judges,  Mr.  Chairman,  and  My 
Countrymen: — Alone  in  its  grandeur  stands  forth 
the  character  of  Washington  in  history;  alone  like 
some  peak  that  has  no  fellow  in  the  mountain  range 
of  greatness. 

"  Washington,"  said  Guizot,  "  Washington  did 
the  two  greatest  things  which  in  politics  it  is  per- 
mitted to  man  to  attempt.  He  maintained  by  peace 
the  independence  of  his  country,  which  he  had  con- 
quered by  war.  He  founded  a  free  government 
in  the  name  of  the  principles  of  order  and  by  re- 
establishing their  sway."  Washington  did,  indeed, 
do  these  things.  But  he  did  more.  Out  of  discon- 
nected fragments,  he  molded  a  whole,  and  made 
it  a  country.  He  achieved  his  country's  independ- 
ence by  the  sword.  He  maintained  that  independ- 
ence by  peace  as  by  war.  He  finally  established 
both  his  country  and  its  freedom  in  an  enduring 
frame  of  constitutional  government,  fashioned  to 
make  liberty  and  union  one  and  inseparable.  These 
four  things  together  constitute  the  unexampled 
achievement  of  Washington. 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  209 

The  world  has  ratified  the  profound  remark  of 
Fisher  Ames,  that  "  he  changed  mankind's  ideas  of 
political  greatness."  It  has  approved  the  opinion 
of  Edward  Everett,  that  he  was  "  the  greatest  of 
good  men,  and  the  best  of  great  men."  It  has  felt 
for  him,  with  Erskine,  "  an  awful  reverence."  It 
has  attested  the  declaration  of  Brougham  that 
he  was  the  greatest  man  of  his  own  or  of  any 
age."  .  .  . 

Conquerors  who  have  stretched  your  scepter  over 
boundless  territories ;  founders  of  empires  who  have 
held  your  dominions  in  the  reign  of  law ;  reformers 
who  have  cried  aloud  in  the  wilderness  of  op- 
pression; teachers  who  have  striven  to  cast  down 
false  doctrines,  heresy,  and  schism;  statesmen 
whose  brains  have  throbbed  with  mighty  plans  for 
the  amelioration  of  human  society;  scar-crowned 
vikings  of  the  sea,  illustrious  heroes  of  the  land, 
who  have  borne  the  standards  of  siege  and  battle, 
come  forth  in  bright  array  from  your  glorious 
fanes,  and  would  ye  be  measured  by  the  measure 
of  his  stature?  Behold  you  not  in  him  a  more 
illustrious  and  more  venerable  presence?  States- 
man, soldier,  patriot,  sage,  reformer  of  creeds; 
teacher  of  truth  and  justice,  achiever  and  pre- 
server of  liberty,  the  first  of  men,  founder  and 
saviour  of  his  country,  father  of  his  people — this 
is  he,  solitary  and  unapproachable  in  his  grandeur! 

Oh,  felicitous  Providence  that  gave  to  America 
our  Washington ! 

High  soars  into  the  sky  to-day,  higher  than  the 
pyramid  or  the  dome  of  St.  Paul's  or  St.  Peter's — 


210         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

the  loftiest  and  most  imposing  structure  that  man 
has  ever  reared — high  soars  into  the  sky  to  where 
— "  Earth  highest  yearns  to  meet  a  star  "  the  monu- 
ment which  "  We  the  people  of  the  United  States  " 
have  uplifted  to  his  memory.  It  is  a  fitting  monu- 
ment, more  fitting  than  any  statue.  For  his  image 
could  only  display  him  in  some  one  phase  of  his 
varied  character.  So  art  has  fitly  typified  his  ex- 
alted life  in  yon  plain,  lofty  shaft.  Such  is  his 
greatness,  that  only  by  a  symbol  could  it  be  repre- 
sented. As  Justice  must  be  blind  in  order  to  be 
whole  in  contemplation,  so  History  must  be  silent 
that  by  this  mighty  sign  she  may  disclose  the 
amplitude  of  her  story. 

No  sum  could  now  be  made  of  Washington's 
character  that  did  not  exhaust  language  of  its 
tributes  and  repeat  virtue  by  all  her  names.  No 
sum  could  be  made  of  his  achievements  that  did  not 
unfold  the  history  of  his  country  and  its  institutions 
— the  history  of  his  age  and  its  progress — the  his- 
tory of  man  and  his  destiny  to  be  free.  But, 
whether  character  or  achievement  be  regarded,  the 
riches  before  us  only  expose  the  poverty  of  praise. 
So  clear  was  he  in  his  great  office  that  no  ideal  of 
the  leader  or  ruler  can  be  formed  that  does  not 
shrink  by  the  side  of  the  reality.  And  so  has  he 
impressed  himself  upon  the  minds  of  men,  that  no 
man  can  justly  aspire  to  be  the  chief  of  a  great,  free 
people,  who  does  not  adopt  his  principles  and  em- 
ulate his  example.  We  look  with  amazement  on 
such  eccentric  characters  as  Alexander,  Caesar, 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  211 

Cromwell,  Frederick,  and  Napoleon,  but  when 
Washington's  face  rises  before  us,  instinctively 
mankind  exclaims :  "  This  is  the  man  for  nations 
to  trust  and  reverence,  and  for  rulers  to  follow." 

Drawing  his  sword  from  patriotic  impulse,  with- 
out ambition  and  without  malice,  he  wielded  it  with- 
out vindictiveness,  and  sheathed  it  without  reproach. 
All  that  humanity  could  conceive  he  did  to  sup- 
press the  cruelties  of  war  and  soothe  its  sorrows. 
He  never  struck  a  coward's  blow.  To  him  age,  in- 
fancy, and  helplessness  were  ever  sacred.  He  tol- 
erated no  extremity  unless  to  curb  the  excesses  of 
his  enemy,  and  he  never  poisoned  the  sting  of  de- 
feat by  the  exultation  of  the  conqueror. 

Peace  he  welcomed  as  a  heaven-sent  herald  of 
friendship;  and  no  country  has  given  him  greater 
honor  than  that  which  he  defeated;  for  England 
has  been  glad  to  claim  him  as  the  scion  of  her 
blood,  and  proud,  like  our  sister  American  States, 
to  divide  with  Virginia  the  honor  of  producing 
him. 

Fascinated  by  the  perfection  of  the  man,  we  are 
loath  to  break  the  mirror  of  admiration  into  the 
fragments  of  analysis.  But,  lo!  as  we  attempt  it, 
every  fragment  becomes  the  miniature  of  such  sub- 
limity and  beauty  that  the  destructive  hand  can  only 
multiply  the  forms  of  immortality. 

Grand  and  manifold  as  were  its  phases,  there 
is  yet  no  difficulty  in  understanding  the  character 
of  Washington.  He  was  no  Veiled  Prophet.  He 
never  acted  a  part.  Simple,  natural,  and  unaffected, 
his  life  lies  before  us — a  fair  and  open  manuscript. 


212         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

He  disdained  the  arts  which  wrap  power  in  mystery 
in  order  to  magnify  it.  He  practiced  the  profound 
diplomacy  of  truthful  speech — the  consummate  tact 
of  direct  attention.  Looking  ever  to  the  All-Wise 
Disposer  of  events,  he  relied  on  that  Providence 
which  helps  men  by  giving  them  high  hearts  and 
hopes  to  help  themselves  with  the  means  which 
their  Creator  has  put  at  their  service.  There  was 
no  infirmity  in  his  conduct  over  which  charity  must 
fling  its  veil;  no  taint  of  selfishness  from  which 
purity  averts  her  gaze;  no  dark  recess  of  intrigue 
that  must  be  lit  up  with  colored  panegyric;  no 
subterranean  passage  to  be  trod  in  trembling,  lest 
there  be  stirred  the  ghost  of  a  buried  crime. 

A  true  son  of  nature  was  George  Washington — 
of  nature  in  her  brightest  intelligence  and  noblest 
mold;  and  the  difficulty,  if  such  there  be,  in  com- 
prehending him,  is  only  that  of  reviewing  from  a 
single  standpoint  the  vast  procession  of  those  civil 
and  military  achievements  which  filled  nearly  half 
a  century  of  his  life,  and  in  realizing  the  magnitude 
of  those  qualities  which  were  requisite  to  their  per- 
formance— the  difficulty  of  fashioning  in  our  minds 
a  pedestal  broad  enough  to  bear  the  towering  figure, 
whose  greatness  is  diminished  by  nothing  but  the 
perfection  of  its  proportions.  If  his  exterior — in 
calm,  grave,  and  resolute  repose — ever  impressed 
the  casual  observer  as  austere  and  cold,  it  was  only 
because  he  did  not  reflect  that  no  great  heart  like 
his  could  have  lived  unbroken  unless  bound  by  iron 
nerves  in  an  iron  frame.  The  Commander  of 
Armies,  the  Chief  of  a  People,  the  Hope  of  Na- 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  213 

tions  could  not  wear  his  heart  upon  his  sleeve;  and 
yet  his  sternest  will  could  not  conceal  its  high  and 
warm  pulsations.  Under  the  enemy's  guns  at  Bos- 
ton he  did  not  forget  to  instruct  his  agent  to  ad- 
minister generously  of  charity  to  his  needy  neigh- 
bors at  home.  The  sufferings  of  women  and  chil- 
dren thrown  adrift  by  war,  and  of  his  bleeding 
comrades,  pierced  his  soul.  And  the  moist  eye  and 
trembling  voice  with  which  he  bade  farewell  to  his 
veterans  bespoke  the  underlying  tenderness  of  his 
nature,  even  as  the  storm-wind  makes  music  in  its 
undertones. 

Disinterested  patriot,  he  would  receive  no  pay 
for  his  military  services.  Refusing  gifts,  he  was 
glad  to  guide  the  benefaction  of  a  grateful  State 
to  educate  the  children  of  his  fallen  braves  in  the 
institution  at  Lexington  which  yet  bears  his  name. 
Without  any  of  the  blemishes  that  mark  the  tyrant, 
he  appealed  so  loftily  to  the  virtuous  elements  in 
man,  that  he  almost  created  the  qualities  which  his 
country  needed  to  exercise;  and  yet  he  was  so 
magnanimous  and  forbearing  to  the  weaknesses  of 
others,  that  he  often  obliterated  the  vices  of  which 
he  feared  the  consequences.  But  his  virtue  was 
more  than  this.  It  was  of  that  daring,  intrepid 
kind  that,  seizing  principle  with  a  giant's  grasp, 
assumes  responsibility  at  any  hazard,  suffers  sacri- 
fice without  pretense  of  martyrdom,  bears  calumny 
without  reply,  imposes  superior  will  and  under- 
standing on  all  around  it,  capitulates  to  no  un- 
worthy triumph,  but  must  carry  all  things  at  the 
point  of  clear  and  blameless  conscience.  Scorning 


2I4         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

all  manner  of  meanness  and  cowardice,  his  bursts 
of  wrath  at  their  exhibition  heighten  our  admira- 
tion for  the  noble  passions  which  were  kindled  by 
the  aspirations  and  exigencies  of  virtue. 

Invested  with  the  powers  of  a  Dictator,  the  coun- 
try bestowing  them  felt  no  distrust  of  his  integrity ; 
he,  receiving  them,  gave  assurance  that,  as  the 
sword  was  the  last  support  of  Liberty,  so  it  should 
be  the  first  thing  laid  aside  when  Liberty  was  won. 
And  keeping  the  faith  in  all  things,  he  left  mankind 
bewildered  with  the  splendid  problem  whether  to 
admire  him  most  for  what  he  was  or  what  he  would 
not  be.  Over  and  above  all  his  virtues  was  the 
matchless  manhood  of  personal  honor  to  which  Con- 
fidence gave  in  safety  the  key  of  every  treasure 
on  which  Temptation  dared  not  smile,  on  which 
Suspicion  never  cast  a  frown.  And  why  prolong 
the  catalogue?  "  If  you  are  presented  with  medals 
of  Caesar,  of  Trajan,  or  Alexander,  on  examining 
their  features  you  are  still  led  to  ask  what  was  their 
stature  and  the  forms  of  their  persons;  but  if  you 
discover  in  a  heap  of  ruins  the  head  or  the  limb 
of  an  antique  Apollo,  be  not  curious  about  the  other 
parts,  but  rest  assured  that  they  were  all  con- 
formable to  those  of  a  god." 

•          •          •          •          •  •          . 

"  Rome  to  America  "  is  the  eloquent  inscription 
on  one  stone  of  your  colossal  shaft — taken  from 
the  ancient  Temple  of  Peace  that  once  stood  hard 
by  the  Palace  of  the  Caesars.  Uprisen  from  the 
sea  of  Revolution,  fabricated  from  the  ruins  of  bar- 
tered bastiles,  and  dismantled  palaces  of  unright- 


THE  WHOLE  MAN  215 

ecus,  unhallowed  power,'  stood  forth  now  the  Re- 
public of  republics,  the  Nation  of  nations,  the  Con- 
stitution of  constitutions,  to  which  all  lands  and 
times  and  tongues  had  contributed  of  their  wisdom, 
and  the  priestess  of  Liberty  was  in  her  holy  temple. 

When  Marathon  had  been  fought  and  Greece 
kept  free,  each  of  the  victorious  generals  voted  him- 
self to  be  first  in  honor,  but  all  agreed  that  Miltiades 
was  second.  When  the  most  memorable  struggle 
for  the  rights  of  human  nature  of  which  time  holds 
record  was  thus  happily  concluded  in  the  muniment 
of  their  preservation,  whoever  else  was  second, 
unanimous  acclaim  declared  that  Washington  was 
first.  Nor  in  that  struggle  alone  does  he  stand 
foremost.  In  the  name  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  their  President,  their  Senators,  their  Repre- 
sentatives, and  their  Judges  do  crown  to-day  with 
the  grandest  crown  that  veneration  has  ever  lifted 
to  the  brow  of  Glory,  him  whom  Virginia  gave  to 
America,  whom  America  had  given  to  the  world 
and  to  the  ages,  and  whom  mankind  with  universal 
suffrage  has  proclaimed  the  foremost  of  the  found- 
ers of  empire  in  the  first  degree  of  greatness ;  whom 
Liberty  herself  has  anointed  as  the  first  citizen  in 
the  great  Republic  of  Humanity. 

Encompassed  by  the  inviolate  seas,  stands  to-day 
the  American  Republic,  which  he  founded — a  freer 
Greater  Britain — uplifted  above  the  powers  and 
principalities  of  the  earth,  even  as  his  monument 
is  uplifted  over  roof  and  dome  and  spire  of  the 
multitudinous  city. 

Long   live   the   Republic   of    Washington!     Re- 


216         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

spected  by  mankind,  beloved  of  all  its  sons,  long 
may  it  be  the  asylum  of  the  poor  and  oppressed  of 
all  lands  and  religions — long  may  it  be  the  citadel 
of  that  Liberty  which  writes  beneath  the  eagle's 
folded  wings,  "  We  will  sell  to  no  man,  we  will  deny 
to  no  man,  right  and  justice." 

Long  live  the  United  States  of  America!  Filled 
with  the  free,  magnanimous  spirit,  crowned  by  the 
wisdom,  blessed  by  the  moderation,  hovered  over 
by  the  angel  of  Washington's  example,  may  they  be 
ever  worthy  in  all  things  to  be  defended  by  the 
blood  of  the  brave,  who  know  the  rights  of  man 
and  shrink  not  from  their  assertion;  may  they  be 
each  a  column,  and  all  together,  under  the  Con- 
stitution, a  perpetual  Temple  of  Peace,  unshadowed 
by  a  Caesar's  palace,  at  whose  altar  may  freely  com- 
mune all  who  seek  the  union  of  liberty  and  brother- 
hood. 

Long  live  our  country!  Oh,  long  through  the 
undying  ages  may  it  stand  far  removed  in  fact  as 
in  space  from  the  Old  World's  feuds  and  follies; 
alone  in  its  grandeur  and  its  glory,  itself  the  im- 
mortal monument  of  him  whom  Providence  commis- 
sioned to  teach  man  the  power  of  truth  and  to 
prove  to  the  nations  that  their  redeemer  liveth. 


BY    HENRY   CABOT   LODGE 

For  many  years  I  have  studied  minutely  the 
career  of  Washington,  and  with  every  step  the 
greatness  of  the  man  has  grown  upon  me;  for 
analysis  has  failed  to  discover  the  act  of  his  life 
which,  under  the  conditions  of  the  time,  I  could 
unhestitatingly  pronounce  to  have  been  an  error. 
Such  has  been  my  experience,  and,  although  my 
deductions  may  be  wrong,  they  at  least  have  been 
carefully  and  slowly  made.  I  see  in  Washington 
a  great  soldier,  who  fought  a  trying  war  to  a  suc- 
cessful end  impossible  without  him;  a  great  states- 
man, who  did  more  than  any  other  man  to  lay 
the  foundations  of  a  republic  which  has  endured 
in  prosperity  for  more  than  a  century.  I  find  in 
him  a  marvelous  judgment  which  was  never  at  fault, 
a  penetrating  vision  which  beheld  the  future  of 
America  when  it  was  dim  to  other  eyes,  a  great 
intellectual  force,  a  will  of  iron,  an  unyielding  grasp 
of  facts,  and  an  unequaled  strength  of  patriotic  pur- 
pose. I  see  in  him,  too,  a  pure  and  high-minded 
gentleman  of  dauntless  courage  and  stainless  honor, 
simple  and  stately  of  manner,  kind  and  generous  of 
heart.  Such  he  was  in  truth.  The  historian  and 
the  biographer  may  fail  to  do  him  justice,  but  the 
instinct  of  mankind  will  not  fail.  The  real  hero 
needs  not  books  to  give  him  worshipers.  George 
Washington  will  always  receive  the  love  and  rever- 
ence of  men,  because  they  see  embodied  in  him  the 
noblest  possibilities  of  humanity. 


IX 

ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES 


ANECDOTES  OF  WASHINGTON 

y 

Washington's  relations  with  children  are  most  in- 
teresting. He  always  wrote  of  them  as  the  "  little 
ones." 

Through  his  life  he  adopted  or  assumed  the  ex- 
penses of  nine  of  the  children  of  his  "  kith  and 
kin." 

Dumas  says  that  he  arrived  at  Providence  with 
Washington  at  night.  "  The  whole  population  had 
assembled  from  the  suburbs;  we  were  surrounded 
by  a  crowd  of  children  carrying  torches,  all  were 
eager  to  approach  the  person  of  him  whom  they 
called  their  father,  and  pressed  so  closely  around 
us  that  they  hindered  us  from  proceeding.  General 
Washington  was  much  affected,  stopped  a  few  mo- 
ments, and,  pressing  my  hand,  said,  '  We  may  be 
beaten  by  the  English,  it  is  the  chance  of  war; 
but  behold  an  army  which  they  can  never  conquer.'  " 


In  journeying  through  New  England,  Washing- 
ton spent  a  night  in  a  private  house  where  all 
payment  was  refused.  Writing  to  his  host  he  said : 
"  Being  informed  that  you  have  given  my  name  to 
one  of  your  sons,  and  called  another  after  Mrs. 
Washington's  family,  and  being,  moreover,  very 
much  pleased  with  the  modest  and  innocent  looks 


221 


222         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

of  your  two  daughters,  Patty  and  Polly,  I  do  for 
these  reasons  send  each  of  these  girls  a  piece  of 
chintz;  and  to  Patty,  who  bears  the  name  of  Mrs. 
Washington,  and  who  waited  upon  us  more  than 
Polly  did,  I  send  five  guineas  with  which  she  may 
buy  herself  any  little  ornament,  or  she  may  dispose 
of  them  in  any  manner  more  agreeable  to  herself. 
As  I  do  not  give  these  things  with  a  view  to  have 
it  talked  of,  or  even  its  being  known,  the  less  there 
is  said  about  the  matter  the  better  you  will  please 
me;  but,  that  I  may  be  sure  the  chintz  and  money 
have  got  safe  to  hand,  let  Patty,  who  I  dare  say 
is  equal  to  it,  write  me  a  line  informing  me  thereof, 
directed  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  at 
New  York." 


J  Once  the  General  was  engaged  in  earnest  con- 
sultation with  Colonel  Pickering  until  after  night 
had  fairly  set  in.  Washington  prepared  to  stay  with 
the  colonel  over  night,  provided  he  had  a  spare 
blanket  and  straw.  "  Oh  yes,"  said  Primus,  who 
was  appealed  to,  "  plenty  of  straw  and  blankets, 
plenty." 

Two  humble  beds  were  spread  side  by  side  in 
the  tent  and  the  officers  laid  themselves  down,  while 
Primus  seemed  to  be  busy  with  duties  that  required 
his  attention  before  he  himself  could  sleep.  He 
worked,  or  appeared  to  work,  until  the  breathing 
of  the  prostrate  gentlemen  satisfied  him  that  they 
were  sleeping,  and  then  seating  himself  upon  a  box, 
he  leaned  his  head  upon  his  hands  to  obtain  such 
repose  as  he  could. 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         223 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  Washington  awoke. 
He  looked  about  and  descried  the  negro.  He  gazed 
at  him  awhile  and  then  spoke. 

"  Primus,"  said  he,  "  Primus !  "  Primus  started 
up  and  rubbed  his  eyes. 

"  What,  General  ?  "  said  he.  Washington  rose  up 
in  his  bed.  "  Primus,"  said  he,  "  what  do  you  mean 
by  saying  that  you  had  straw  and  blankets  enough? 
Here  you  have  given  up  your  blankets  and  straw 
to  me,  that  I  may  sleep  comfortably,  while  you  are 
obliged  to  sit  through  the  night."  "  It's  nothing, 
General,"  said  Primus !  "  It's  nothing !  I'm  well 
enough !  Don't  trouble  yourself  about  me,  General, 
but  go  to  sleep  again.  No  matter  about  me,  I  sleep 
very  good !  "  "  But  it  is  matter,  it  is  matter,"  said 
Washington.  "  I  cannot  do  it,  Primus.  If  either 
is  to  sit  up,  I  will.  But  I  think  there  is  no  need 
of  either  sitting  up.  The  blanket  is  wide  enough 
for  two.  Come  and  lie  down  with  me." 

"  Oh  no,  General !  "  said  Primus,  starting  and 
protesting  against  the  proposition.  "  No,  let  me  sit 
here."  "  J  say  come  and  lie  down  here ! "  said 
Washington.  "  There  is  room  for  both ;  I  insist 
upon  it." 

He  threw  open  the  blanket  as  he  spoke,  and 
moved  to  one  side  of  the  straw.  Primus  professes 
to  have  been  exceedingly  shocked  at  the  idea  of 
lying  under  the  same  covering  with  the  commander- 
in-chief,  but  his  tone  was  so  resolute  and  determined 
that  he  could  not  hesitate.  He  prepared  himself 
therefore  and  laid  himself  down  by  Washing- 
ton; on  the  same  straw  under  the  same  blanket, 


224         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

the    General    and    the    negro    servant    slept    until 
morning. 


An  anecdote  characteristic  of  Washington  is  re- 
lated by  Professor  McVickar,  in  his  narrative  of 
"  The  Life  of  Dr.  Bard,"  who  attended  Washington 
during  a  severe  illness  in  1789. 

It  was  a  case  of  anthrax  (carbuncle)  so  malignant  as 
for  several  days  to  threaten  mortification.  During  this 
period  Dr.  Bard  never  quitted  him.  On  one  occasion  being 
left  alone  with  him,  General  Washington,  looking  steadily 
in  his  face,  desired  his  candid  opinion  as  to  the  probable 
termination  of  his  disease,  adding  with  that  placid  firmness 
which  marked  his  address,  "  Do  not  flatter  me  with  vain 
hopes,  I'm  not  afraid  to  die,  and  therefore  can  bear  the 
worst."  Dr.  Bard's  answer,  though  it  expressed  hope, 
acknowledged  his  apprehensions. 

The  President  replied :  "  Whether  to-night  or  twenty 
years  hence,  makes  no  difference;  I  know  that  I  am  in  the 
hands  of  a  good  Providence." 


George  Washington  to  his  nephew,  Bushrod 
Washington : 

Remember,  that  it  is  not  the  mere  study  of  the  Law,  but 
to  become  eminent  in  the  profession  of  it,  which  is  to 
yield  honor  and  profit. 

The  first  was  your  choice,  let  the  second  be  your  am- 
bition ;  that  the  company  in  which  you  will  improve  most, 
will  be  least  expensive  to  you;  and  yet  I  am  not  such  a 
stoic  as  to  suppose  that  you  will,  or  think  it  right  that 
you  should  always  be  in  company  with  senators  and 
philosophers;  but  of  the  young  and  the  juvenile  kind  le* 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         225 

me  advise  you  to  be  choice.  It  is  easy  to  make  acquaint- 
ances, but  very  difficult  to  shake  them  off,  however  irk- 
some and  unprofitable  they  are  found,  after  we  have  once 
committed  ourselves  to  them. 

While  absent  from  Mount  Vernon  Washington 
wrote  to  his  manager : 

Although  it  is  last  mentioned,  it  is  foremost  in  my 
thoughts  to  desire  you  will  be  particularly  attentive  to  my 
negroes  in  their  sickness,  and  to  order  every  overseer 
positively  to  be  so  likewise ;  for  I  am  sorry  to  observe  that 
the  generality  of  them  view  these  poor  creatures  in 
scarcely  any  other  light  than  they  do  a  draught  horse  or 
an  ox,  neglecting  them  as  much  when  they  are  unable  to 
work  instead  of  comforting  and  nursing  them  when  they 
lie  in  a  sick  bed. 


J 


A  part  of  each  day  was  always  set  apart  for 
meditation  and  devotion;  nor  this  in  time  of  peace 
only,  for  we  are  told  that  one  day  while  the  Amer- 
icans were  encamped  at  Valley  Forge,  the  owner  of 
the  house  occupied  by  the  General,  a  Quaker, 
strolled  up  the  creek,  and  when  not  far  from  his 
mill,  heard  a  solemn  voice.  He  walked  quietly  in 
the  direction  of  it  and  saw  Washington's  horse  tied 
to  a  sapling.  In  a  thicket  near  by  was  the  chief, 
upon  his  knees  in  prayer,  his  cheeks  suffused  with 
tears. 
\ 

During  the  Revolutionary  War,  General  Wash- 
ington's army  was  reduced  at  one  time  to  great 
straits,  and  the  people  were  greatly  dispirited.  One 


226         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

of  them  who  left  his  home  with  an  anxious  heart 
one  day,  as  he  was  passing  the  edge  of  a  wood  near 
the  camp,  heard  the  sound  of  a  voice.  He  stopped 
to  listen,  and  looking  between  the  trunks  of  the  large 
trees  he  saw  General  Washington  engaged  in  prayer. 
He  passed  quietly  on,  that  he  might  not  disturb 
him;  and  on  returning  home,  told  his  family, 
"  America  will  prevail,"  and  then  related  what  he 
had  heard  and  seen. 


THE  ABUSE  OF  WASHINGTON 

BY  THOMAS  WENTWORTH   HIGGINSON 

On  the  last  day  in  office  Washington  wrote  to 
Knox  comparing  himself  to  "  the  weary  traveler 
who  sees  a  resting-place,  and  is  bending  his  body  to 
lean  thereon.  To  be  suffered  to  do  this  in  peace," 
he  added,  "  is  too  much  to  be  endured  by  some." 
Accordingly  on  that  very  day  a  Philadelphia  news- 
paper dismissed  him  with  a  final  tirade,  worth  re- 
membering by  all  who  think  that  political  virulence 
is  on  the  increase : 

"Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace, 
for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation  "  was  the  exclama- 
tion of  a  man  who  saw  a  flood  of  blessedness  breaking  in 
upon  mankind.  If  ever  there  was  a  time  that  allowed 
this  exclamation  to  be  repeated,  that  time  is  the  present. 
The  man  who  is  the  source  of  all  our  country's  misery 
is  this  day  reduced  to  the  rank  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         227 

has  no  longer  the  power  to  multiply  the  woes  of  these 
United  States.  Now  more  than  ever  is  the  time  to  re- 
joice. Every  heart  which  feels  for  the  liberty,  and  the 
happiness  of  the  people  must  now  beat  with  rapture 
at  the  thought  that  this  day  the  name  of  Washington 
ceases  to  give  currency  to  injustice  and  to  legalize  cor- 
ruption. .  .  .  When  we  look  back  upon  the  eight  years 
of  Washington's  administration,  it  strikes  us  with  aston- 
ishment that  one  man  could  thus  poison  the  principles 
of  republicanism  among  our  enlightened  people,  and  carry 
his  designs  against  the  public  liberty  so  far  as  to  en- 
danger its  very  existence.  Yet  such  is  the  fact,  and 
if  this  is  apparent  to  all,  this  day  they  should  form  a 
jubilee  in  the  United  States. 


PROVIDENTIAL  EVENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF 
WASHINGTON 

BY  IRVING  ALLEN 

From  The  Independent 

At  this  season  of  the  anniversary  of  Washing- 
ton's birth,  it  seems  especially  appropriate  to  recall 
certain  singular  circumstances  in  the  life  of  the  great- 
est of  Americans — events  remarkable  in  themselves 
in  whatever  light  they  may  be  viewed;  whether,  in 
accordance  with  the  tenets  of  modern  Spiritism 
and,  to  a  certain  extent,  in  harmony  with  the 
doctrines  of  Swedenborg  and  his  followers  in  human 
affairs  of  departed  spirits ;  or  if,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  adopt  the  simple  teachings  of  the  Sacred  Scrip- 


228         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

tures,  and  acknowledge  the  truth  with  men  and  their 
affairs. 

Authentic  history  records  no  less  than  six  mar- 
velous instances  in  which  the  life  of  Washington 
was  saved  under  circumstances  seemingly  little  less 
than  miraculous.  The  first  of  these  wonderful 
escapes  from  impending  peril  occurred  during  the 
period  of  Washington's  sole  recorded  absence  from 
the  American  continent — when  he  accompanied  his 
brother  Lawrence,  then  fatally  ill  with  consumption, 
to  the  Barbadoes. 

Smallpox 

They  sailed  in  September  of  1751,  George  being 
then  in  the  twentieth  year  of  his  age.  Before  the 
brothers  had  been  a  fortnight  in  the  island  the 
younger,  the  future  hero  of  the  Revolution,  was  at- 
tacked with  smallpox  in  its  "  natural "  and  virulent 
form.  This  disease  was  not  then  the  fangless  mon- 
ster with  which  we  are  familiar,  but  was  terrific  in 
its  assaults  and  almost  invariably  fatal ;  yet  Wash- 
ington recovered  in  something  less  than  three  weeks, 
and  retained  through  his  life  but  slight  marks  of  the 
malady. 

One  of  General  Washington's  biographers  well 
says,  in  reference  to  this  incident,  in  the  life  of  the 
first  President,  that,  "  it  may  well  be  doubted 
whether  in  any  of  his  battles  he  was  in  equal  danger. 
If  the  disease  entered  an  army,  it  was  a  foe  more 
to  be  dreaded  than  embattled  hosts.  .  .  .  But  it 
belongs  to  that  class  of  diseases  of  which,  by  a  mys- 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         229 

terious  law  of  our  nature,  our  frames  are,  generally 
speaking,  susceptible  but  once.  .  .  .  Thus  it  came 
to  pass,  that,  in  the  morning  of  his  days,  Washing- 
ton became  (humanly  speaking)  safe  from  all  future 
danger  from  this  formidable  disease." 

The  reader  of  American  history  will  remember 
that  the  smallpox  appeared  among  the  British  troops 
in  Boston  in  the  fall  of  1775;  that  it  ravaged  our 
army  in  Canada  in  the  following  spring ;  that  it  pre- 
vailed the  same  year  at  Ticonderoga,  and  in  1777  at 
Morristown.  Regarding  this  last  occasion  of  its  ap- 
pearance, Washington  said,  in  a  letter  to  Governor 
Henry,  of  Virginia,  where  vaccination  was  not  per- 
mitted : 

You  will  pardon  my  observation  on  smallpox  because  I 
know  it  is  more  destructive  to  the  army  than  the  enemies' 
sword  and  because  I  shudder  whenever  I  reflect  upon  the 
difficulties  of  keeping  it  out. 

This  was  the  tremendous  peril  from  which  Wash- 
ington was  comparatively  safe  after  his  twentieth 
year.  "  If,"  says  a  very  eminent  writer,  "  to  refer 
this  to  an  overruling  Providence  be  a  superstition, 
I  desire  to  be  accounted  superstitious." 


The  Journey  to  Venango,  1753 

The  next  imminent  danger  to  which  Washington 
was  exposed,  and  from  which  his  escape  was  well- 
nigh  miraculous,  was  on  the  occasion  of  his  historic 
expedition  to  the  headquarters  of  the  French  Gov- 


230         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

ernor  at  Venango,  in  1753.  The  journey  itself,  in 
the  winter  season,  of  five  or  six  hundred  miles 
through  an  unsettled  country,  most  of  it  constantly 
traveled  by  natives  at  enmity  with  the  English,  was 
one  continued  story  of  danger  and  escape.  It  was 
but  two  years  after  this  trip  of  Washington's  to 
Venango  that  English  soldiers — surrendered  pris- 
oners of  war — were  tortured  to  death  by  the  savage 
natives  within  sight  of  Fort  Duquesne.  On  his  re- 
turn from  the  fulfillment  of  his  mission,  Washington 
traversed  the  forest  with  a  single  companion  and  an 
Indian  guide.  Just  at  nightfall,  on  one  of  the  days 
of  their  perilous  journey,  their  savage  attendant 
suddenly  turned,  and  at  a  distance  of  but  fifteen 
paces  fired  on  Washington,  happily  without  evil 
result. 

After  this  alarming  experience  the  two  com- 
panions pursued  their  way  alone,  footsore  and 
weary,  through  the  woods,  with  the  sure  knowledge 
that  the  savages  were  on  their  trail.  Reaching  the 
Alleghany  River  on  a  night  of  December,  they  found 
it  encumbered  with  drifting  ice,  and  only  to  be 
crossed  by  means  of  a  raft  which,  with  only  "  one 
poor  hatchet,"  cost  them  an  entire  day's  labor  to 
construct.  When  crossing  the  river,  Washington, 
while  using  the  setting  pole,  was  thrown  violently 
into  the  water  at  a  depth  of  ten  feet,  and  saved  his 
life  by  grasping  a  log.  They  spent  the  night,  in 
their  frozen  clothing,  on  a  little  island  on  which, 
had  they  been  forced  to  stay  till  sunrise,  they 
would,  beyond  question,  have  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  Indians;  but  the  intense  cold  which  froze  the 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         231 

feet  of  Washington's  companion,  also  sealed  the 
river  and  enabled  them  to  escape  on  the  ice. 


Another  Mission 

The  year  following  the  mission  to  Venango 
(1754)  Colonel  Washington  was  sent  in  command 
of  a  small  force  in  the  same  direction;  but  by  rea- 
son of  the  greatly  superior  strength  of  the  enemy, 
the  expedition  resulted  in  a  calamitous  retreat.  By 
a  singular  coincidence,  the  compulsory  evacuation 
of  the  English  stronghold — "  Fort  Necessity,"  as  it 
was  called — occurred  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1754 — 
a  date  afterward  made  forever  glorious  in  great 
measure  by  the  inestimable  services  of  the  young 
commander  of  this  earlier  and  ill-fated  military  ex- 
pedition. But  such  were  the  ability,  energy,  and 
power  evinced  by  its  youthful  commander,  that  the 
disaster  resulted  in  his  own  greatly  enhanced  reputa- 
tion as  a  born  leader  of  men. 


Braddock  and  Washington 

In  the  following  year  (1755)  a  gigantic  effort  was 
made  by  England  to  recover  lost  ground,  and  to 
repair  the  military  misadventures  of  1754-  The 
history  of  Braddock's  disastrous  expedition  is 
familiar  to  every  schoolboy  in  the  land.  At  this 
period,  Colonel  Washington  had  retired  from  the 
army  in  disgust  at  the  unjust  regulations  which  gave 
undue  preference  to  officers  holding  commissions 


232         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

from  the  Crown  over  abler  men — some  of  them  their 
seniors  of  the  same  rank — in  the  service  of  the 
provinces.  He  was,  however,  at  length  induced — in 
great  measure  from  motives  of  the  purest  patriot- 
ism, and  partly,  no  doubt,  from  his  strong  leaning 
toward  a  military  career — to  accept  a  position  on  the 
staff  of  the  commanding  General,  Braddock,  a  sol- 
dier of  courage  and  large  experience,  but,  as  events 
afterward  proved,  a  haughty,  self-willed,  and 
passionate  man. 

During  the  passage  of  Braddock's  forces 
through  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  Washington  was 
attacked  by  so  violent  and  alarming  a  sickness  that 
its  result  was  for  a  time  extremely  uncertain;  on 
his  partial  recovery  the  General  caused  him  to  move 
with  the  heavy  artillery  and  baggage.  In  this  posi- 
tion Washington  remained  two  weeks,  returning 
to  the  General's  headquarters  on  the  eighth  of  July, 
the  day  preceding  the  fatal  battle  of  the  Monon- 
gahela. 

On  the  morning  of  this  day — forever  and  sadly 
memorable  in  American  annals — Washington 
mounted  his  horse,  weak  and  worn  by  sickness,  but 
strong  in  hope  and  courage.  These  are  his  own 
words  uttered  in  other  and  better  days : 

The  most  beautiful  spectacle  I  had  ever  beheld  was  the 
display  of  the  British  troops  on  that  eventful  morning. 
.  .  .  The  sun  gleamed  from  their  burnished  arms,  the 
river  flowed  tranquilly  on  their  right,  and  the  deep  forest 
overshadowed  them  with  solemn  grandeur  on  the  left. 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         233 

Braddock's  Defeat 

It  is  needless  to  repeat  here  the  tale  of  that  day 
of  defeat  and  slaughter.  Historians  have  recorded 
its  events,  and  poets  have  sung  its  story.  Through- 
out the  action  Washington  was  in  the  thickest  of  the 
fight.  "  I  expected  every  moment  to  see  him  fall," 
wrote  Dr.  Craik,  his  physician  and  friend.  It  was 
during  this  disastrous  battle  that  Washington 
escaped  perhaps  the  most  imminent  peril  of  his  life. 
In  company  with  Dr.  Craik,  in  the  year  1770,  he 
descended  the  Ohio  River  on  a  journey  of  observa- 
tion to  the  Great  Kanawha,  and  it  was  there  that 
an  incident  occurred,  which  is  thus  described  by 
Irving : 

Here  Washington  was  visited  by  an  old  sachem,  who 
approached  him  with  great  reverence  and  addressed  him 
through  Nicholson,  the  interpreter.  He  had  come,  he  said, 
a  great  distance  to  see  him.  On  further  discourse,  the 
sachem  made  known  that  he  was  one  of  the  warriors  in 
the  service  of  the  French,  who  lay  in  ambush  on  the  banks 
of  the  Monongahela,  and  wrought  such  havoc  to  Brad- 
dock's  army.  He  declared  that  he  and  his  young  men  had 
singled  out  Washington,  as  he  made  himself  conspicuous 
riding  about  the  field  of  battle  with  the  General's  orders, 
and  fired  at  him  repeatedly,  but  without  success;  whence 
they  concluded  that  he  was  under  the  protection  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  that  he  had  a  charmed  life,  and  could  not 
be  slain  in  battle. 

P    Washington  himself  wrote  thus  to  his  brother : 

ir 

By  all  the  powerful  dispensations  of  Providence,  I  have 
been  protected  beyond  all  human  probability  and  expecta- 


234         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

tion;  for  I  had  four  bullets  through  my  coat  and  two 
horses  shot  under  me;  yet  I  escaped  unhurt,  although 
death  was  leveling  my  companions  on  every  side. 

His  marvelous  preservation  was  the  subject  of 
general  remark;  Mr.  Davies,  later  President  of 
Princeton  College,  used  these  words  in  an  address  a 
few  weeks  after  the  Braddock  defeat: 

That  heroic  youth,  Colonel  Washington,  whom  I  can- 
not but  hope  Providence  has  hitherto  preserved  in  so 
signal  a  manner  for  some  important  service  to  hie  country. 

Escape  from  a  Marriage 

The  next  apparently  providential  intervention  in 
the  affairs  of  the  hero  of  the  Revolution  is  con- 
nected with  very  different  scenes  from  those  of  bat- 
tle and  carnage ;  it  may,  perhaps,  be  fairly  described 
as  a  narrow  escape  from  a  marriage  which,  while  it 
might  have  proved  a  happy  alliance  in  so  far  as 
Washington  himself  was  concerned,  would  almost 
certainly  have  resulted  in  the  loss  of  his  inestimable 
services  to  his  country. 

Washington's  attachment  to  Mary  Philipse  is  a 
fact  beyond  reasonable  question;  his  offer  of  mar- 
riage to  that  young  lady  is  somewhat  traditional.  It 
is  certain,  however,  that  during  his  necessary  ab- 
sence on  military  duty,  Captain  Morris,  his  associate 
aide-de-camp  in  the  Monongahela  engagement,  be- 
came a  successful  suitor  for  the  hand  of  Miss 
Philipse. 

What  is  far  less  generally  known  is  the  fact  that, 
had  Washington  been  successful  in  his  early  matri- 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         235 

monial  aspirations,  he  would  certainly  have  re- 
mained a  loyal  adherent  of  the  royal  cause,  and 
would  thus  have  been  lost  to  his  native  land.  Evi- 
dences of  the  justice  of  this  theory  are  by  no  means 
lacking.  The  relatives  and  friends  of  the  lady  were 
nearly  all  devoted  to  the  cause  of  England;  Wash- 
ington was  the  associate  of  many  of  them;  and 
Captain  Morris,  his  successful  rival,  remained  in 
the  British  service  during  his  life.  There  can  be,  I 
think,  little  doubt  that,  in  the  event  of  his  marriage 
with  Miss  Philipse,  Washington,  like  Captain  Mor- 
ris, would  have  returned  to  England  and  been  for- 
ever lost  to  America.  Mrs.  Morris  survived  her  il- 
lustrious admirer  twenty-five  years,  dying  about  the 
year  1825. 

Washington  Unrewarded 

» 
A  striking  historical   fact, — as  strange  as  it  is 

authentic — is  the  treatment  of  Washington  by  the 
English  Government  after  the  death  of  Braddock. 
Had  General  Braddock  survived  his  terrible  mis- 
fortune the  result  might  well  have  been  very  differ- 
ent; for  it  is  matter  of  history  that  the  youthful  of- 
ficer had  the  undivided  confidence  of  his  com- 
mander. But  by  the  British  Ministry,  and  even  by 
the  King  himself,  the  young  hero  of  the  fatal  battle 
was  treated  with  scarcely  disguised  contempt  and 
neglect. 

In  a  letter  to  the  British  War  Minister,  Gov- 
ernor Dinwiddie  speaks  of  Colonel  Washington  as  a 
man  of  great  merit  and  resolution,  adding: 


236         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

I  am  confident,  that,  if  General  Braddock  had  lived,  he 
would  have  recommended  him  to  the  royal  favor,  which  I 
beg  your  interest  in  recommending. 


The  sole  results  were  a  half -rebuke  from  the 
King,  and  a  malicious  fling  from  the  lips  of  Horace 
Walpole.  For  more  than  three  years  Washington 
labored  incessantly,  by  personal  effort  and  by  means 
of  influential  intercessors,  to  secure  a  royal  com- 
mission. 

In  view  of  what  the  world  knows  now  of  Wash- 
ington's well-nigh  matchless  ability  as  a  soldier,  and 
remembering  especially  the  reputation  he  had  al- 
ready acquired — amazing  in  so  youthful  an  officer 
— his  persistent  neglect  by  the  military  authorities 
"  at  home,"  and  particularly  the  stubborn  and  dolt- 
ish determination  on  the  part  of  the  King  to  ignore 
the  man  and  his  almost  unexampled  services,  sug- 
gests the  theory  that  the  heart  of  King  George,  of 
England,  was  as  truly  and  providentially  "  hard- 
ened "  as  was  that  of  his  royal  prototype,  Pharaoh, 
of  ancient  times.  For,  finding  that  all  his  efforts 
were  ineffectual  and  believing  that  the  chief  object 
of  the  war  was  attained  by  the  capture  of  Fort 
Duquesne,  and  the  final  defeat  of  the  French  on 
the  Ohio,  the  young  hero  retired  after  five  years  of 
arduous  and  ill-requited  service,  in  the  words  of  a 
great  writer  of  our  own  land  and  time : 

The  youthful  idol  of  his  countrymen,  but  without  so 
much  as  a  civil  word  from  the  fountain  of  honor.  And  so, 
when  after  seventeen  years  of  private  life  he  next  ap- 
peared in  arms,  it  was  as  the  "  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         237 

Army  of  the  United  Colonies,  and  of  all  the  forces  now 
raised,  or  to  be  raised  by  them." 

The  same  writer  elsewhere  remarks : 

Such  was  the  policy  by  which  the  Horse  Guards  occa- 
sionally saved  a  Major's  commission  for  a  fourth  son  of  a 
Duke,  by  which  the  Crown  lost  a  continent;  and  the  peo- 
ple of  the  United  States  gained  a  place  in  the  family  of 
nations.  The  voice  of  history  cries  aloud  to  powerful 
Governments,  in  the  administration  of  their  colonies: 
"  Discite  justitiam  moniti." 


A  Furious  Conflict 

The  last  of  the  six  marvelous  escapes  of  our  hero 
from  impending  and  fatal  disaster  occurred  during 
the  historic  night  march  of  Washington  and  the 
American  Army  on  Princeton,  where,  on  the  third 
of  January,  1776,  he  compassed  the  entire  destruc- 
tion of  one  regiment  of  the  enemy,  and  captured  or 
forced  to  ignoble  retreat  two  others.  This  battle 
was  the  subject  of  one  of  Colonel  Trumbull's  most 
famous  paintings;  and  it  was  during  this  engage- 
ment— as  Washington  himself  told  the  illustrious 
artist — that  he  was  in  greater  peril  than  even  at  the 
time  of  Braddock's  defeat. 

In  the  height  of  the  battle  the  two  armies  were 
for  a  brief  season  in  furious  conflict,  and  Washing- 
ton between  them  within  range  of  both  fires.  Wash- 
ington Irving  writes: 

His  Aide,  Colonel  Fitzgerald,  losing  sight  of  him  in  the 
heat  of  the  fight  when  enveloped  in  smoke  and  dust, 


238         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

dropped  the  bridle  on  the  neck  of  his  horse  and  drew 
his  hat  over  his  eyes,  giving  him  up  for  lost.  When  he 
saw  him,  however,  emerging  from  the  cloud,  waving  his 
hat,  and  beheld  the  enemy  giving  way,  he  spurred  up  to 
his  side :  "  Thank  God,"  cried  he,  "  your  Excellency  is 
safe!"  "Away,  my  dear  Colonel,  and  bring  up  the 
troops,"  was  Washington's  reply ;  "  the  day  is  our  own." 

Trumbull's  immortal  picture  shows  us  the  hero 
of  that  decisive  battle  standing  on  the  memorable 
day  of  Princeton  by  the  side  of  his  white  war-horse. 
Says  an  eloquent  writer: 

Well  might  he  exult  in  the  event  of  the  day,  for  it  was 
the  last  of  a  series  of  bold  and  skilful  manoeuvres  and  suc- 
cessful actions,  by  which,  in  three  weeks,  he  had  rescued 
Philadelphia,  driven  the  enemy  from  the  banks  of  the 
Delaware,  recovered  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  and,  at  the 
close  of  a  disastrous  campaign,  restored  hope  and  con- 
fidence to  the  country. 

Such  are  the  six  memorable  events  which  it  well 
becomes  the  American  people  to  recall  with  devout 
gratitude  and  awe,  realizing  anew  the  Providence 
that  watches  alike  over  human  beings  and  the  af- 
fairs of  nations,  and  recognizing  the  solemn  truth 
that  ever,  as,  signally,  in  those  times  that  tried  the 
souls  of  men, 

"God  fulfills  Himself  in  many  ways." 


239 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  WASHINGTON 
Von  Braam  and  Washington 

Washington  began  to  be  a  soldier  in  his  boyhood. 
During  the  British  campaign  against  the  West  In- 
dies, Lawrence  Washington,  George's  half-brother, 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  Dutchman,  named  Jacob 
von  Braam,  who  afterwards  came  to  Virginia. 
These  young  men  were  great  heroes  to  the  ten-year- 
old  George.  Von  Braam  took  the  lad  in  hand  and 
began  his  military  education.  He  drilled  him  in 
the  manual  of  arms  and  sword  exercise,  and  taught 
him  fortification  and  engineering.  All  the  theory  of 
war  which  Washington  knew  was  gained  from 
von  Braam ;  the  practice  he  was  soon  to  gain  in  the 
field. 

Washington's  Athletic  Skill 

Many  stories  are  told  which  show  Washington's 
athletic  skill.  During  a  surveying  expedition  he 
first  visited  the  Natural  Bridge,  in  Virginia.  Stand- 
ing almost  directly  under  it,  he  tossed  a  stone  on 
top,  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  feet.  He 
scaled  the  rocks  and  carved  his  name  far  above  all 
others.  He  was  said  to  be  the  only  man  who  could 
throw  a  stone  across  the  Potomac  River.  Wash- 
ington was  never  more  at  home  than  when  in  the 
saddle.  "  The  general  is  a  very  excellent  and  bold 
horseman,"  wrote  a  contemporary,  "  leaping  the 
highest  fences  and  going  extremely  quick,  without 


240         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

standing  on  his  stirrups,  bearing  on  his  bridle,  or 
letting  his  horse  run  wild." 

After  his  first  battle  Washington  wrote  to  his 
brother,  "  I  heard  the  bullets  whistle  about  me,  and, 
believe  me,  there  is  something  charming  in  the 
sound."  But  years  after,  when  he  had  learned  all 
there  was  to  know  of  the  horrors  of  war,  he  said, 
sadly,  "  I  said  that  when  I  was  young." 

Punctuality 

Punctuality  was  one  of  Washington's  strong 
points.  When  company  was  invited  to  dinner,  he 
made  an  allowance  of  only  five  minutes  for  varia- 
tion in  watches.  If  the  guests  came  late  he  would 
say :  "  We  are  too  punctual  for  you.  I  have  a  cook 
who  does  not  ask  if  the  company  has  come,  but  if 
the  hour  has  come." 

In  a  letter  to  a  friend  he  wrote :  "  I  begin  my 
diurnal  course  with  the  sun;  if  my  hirelings  are 
not  in  their  places  by  that  time  I  send  them  mes- 
sages of  sorrow  for  their  indisposition." 

A  letter  to  his  sister,  Betty,  shows  his  businesslike 
manner:  "If  your  son  Ho  well  is  with  you  and  not 
usefully  employed  in  your  own  affairs,  and  should 
incline  to  spend  a  few  months  with  me  in  my  of- 
fice as  a  writer  (if  he  is  fit  for  it),  I  will  allow  him 
at  the  rate  of  300  a  year,  provided  he  is  diligent  in 
discharging  the  duties  of  it  from  breakfast  till  din- 
nertime. ...  I  am  particular  in  declaring  before- 
hand what  I  require,  so  that  there  may  be  no  dis- 
appointment or  false  expectations  on  either  side." 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         241 

His  Stepchildren 

Washington's  relations  with  his  stepchildren  show 
a  very  pleasant  side  of  his  character.  We  find  him 
ordering  from  London  such  articles  as  "  10  shillings' 
worth  of  toys,  6  little  books  for  children  beginning 
to  read,  i  fashionable-dressed  baby  to  cost  10  shil- 
lings, and  a  box  of  gingerbread  toys  and  sugar 
images,  or  comfits."  Later  he  sent  for  "  i  very 
good  spinet,"  for  Patsey,  as  Martha  Parke  Custis 
was  called. 

His  niece,  Hariot,  who  lived  in  the  Washington 
home  from  1785  to  1796,  was  a  great  trial  to  him. 
"  She  has,"  he  wrote,  "  no  disposition  to  be  careful 
of  her  clothes,  which  she  dabs  about  in  every  hole 
and  corner,  and  her  best  things  always  in  use,  so 
that  she  costs  me  enough." 

One  of  the  characteristics  of  a  truly  great  man 
is  his  readiness  to  ask  pardon.  Once  when  Nelly 
Custis,  Mrs.  Washington's  granddaughter,  was 
severely  reprimanded  for  walking  alone  by  moon- 
light in  the  grounds  of  Mount  Vernon,  Washington 
tried  to  intercede  for  the  girl. 

"  Perhaps  she  was  not  alone ;  I  would  say  no 
more,"  he  said. 

"  Sir,"  said  Nelly  Custis,  "  you  have  brought  me 
up  to  speak  the  truth,  and  when  I  told  grandmamma 
that  I  was  alone,  I  hoped  that  you  would  believe 
me." 

"  My  child,"  said  Washington,  bowing  in  his 
courtly  fashion,  "  I  beg  your  pardon." 


242         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

His  Temper 

Stuart,  the  portrait  painter,  once  said  to  Gen- 
eral Lee  that  Washington  had  a  tremendous  temper, 
but  that  he  had  it  under  wonderful  control.  While 
dining  with  the  Washingtons,  General  Lee  repeated 
the  first  part  of  Stuart's  remark.  Mrs.  Washing- 
ton flushed  and  said  that  Mr.  Stuart  took  a  great 
deal  upon  himself.  Then  General  Lee  said  that 
Mr.  Stuart  had  added  that  the  President  had  his 
temper  under  wonderful  control.  Washington 
seemed  to  be  thinking  for  a  moment,  then  he  smiled 
and  said,  "  Mr.  Stuart  is  right." 


His  Smile 

The  popular  idea  that  Washington  never  laughed 
is  well-nigh  exploded.  Nelly  Custis  said,  "  I  have 
sometimes  made  him  laugh  most  heartily  from  sym- 
pathy with  my  joyous  and  extravagant  spirits." 

When  the  news  came  from  Dr.  Franklin  in 
France  that  help  was  promised  from  that  country, 
General  Washington  broke  into  a  laugh,  waved  his 
cocked  hat,  and  said  to  his  officers,  "  The  day  is 
ours !  "  Another  story  is  to  the  effect  that  while 
present  at  the  baptism  of  a  child  of  a  Mr.  Wood,  he 
was  so  surprised  to  hear  the  name  given  as  George 
Washington  that  he  smiled.  Senator  Maclay  tells 
of  his  smiling  at  a  state  dinner,  and  even  toying 
with  his  fork.  Various  sources  testify  that  a 
smile  lent  an  unusual  beauty  to  his  face. 

At  one  time,  as  Washington  entered  a  shop  in 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         243 

New  York,  a  Scotch  nursemaid  followed  him,  car- 
rying her  infant  charge.  "  Please,  sir,  here's  a 
bairn  was  named  after  you." 

"  What  is  his  name  ?  "  asked  the  President. 

"  Washington  Irving,  sir." 

Washington  put  his  hand  upon  the  child's  head 
and  gave  him  his  blessing,  little  thinking  that  "  the 
bairn  "  would  write,  as  a  labor  of  love,  a  life  of 
Washington. 

While  at  his  Newburgh  headquarters  the  General 
was  approached  by  Aaron  Burr,  who  stealthily  crept 
up  as  he  was  writing,  and  looked  over  his  shoulder. 
Although  Washington  did  not  hear  the  footfall,  he 
saw  the  shadow  in  the  mirror.  He  looked  up,  and 
said  only,  "  Mr.  Burr !  "  But  the  tone  was  enough 
to  make  Burr  quail  and  beat  a  hasty  retreat. 

A  man  who,  well  for  himself,  is  nameless,  made  a 
wager  with  some  friends  that  he  could  approach 
Washington  familiarly.  The  President  was  walk- 
ing up  Chestnut  Street,  in  Philadelphia,  when  the 
would-be  wag,  in  full  view  of  his  companions, 
slapped  him  on  the  back  and  said,  "  Well,  old  fel- 
low, how  are  you  this  morning?"  Washington 
looked  at  him,  and  in  a  freezing  tone  asked,  "  Sir, 
what  have  I  ever  said  or  done  which  induces  you 
to  treat  me  in  this  manner  ?  " 

Thought-fulness 

After  Washington's  retirement  from  the  Presi- 
dency, Elkanah  Watson  was  a  guest  at  Mount  Ver- 
non.  He  had  a  serious  cold,  and  after  he  retired  he 


244         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

coughed  severely.  Suddenly  the  curtains  of  his  bed 
were  drawn  aside,  and  there  stood  Washington  with 
a  huge  bowl  of  steaming  herb  tea.  "  Drink  this," 
he  said,  "  it  will  be  good  for  that  cough." 

Washington  possessed  in  a  peculiar  degree  the 
great  gift  of  remembering  faces.  Once,  while  visit- 
ing in  Newburyport,  he  saw  at  work  in  the  grounds 
of  his  host  an  old  servant  whom  he  had  not  seen 
since  the  French  and  Indian  war,  thirty  years  before. 
He  knew  the  man  at  once,  and  stopped  and  spoke 
kindly  to  him. 

Modesty 

Any  collection  of  anecdotes  about  Washington  is 
sure  to  refer  to  his  extreme  modesty.  Upon  one  oc- 
casion, when  the  speaker  of  the  Assembly  returned 
thanks  in  glowing  terms  to  Colonel  Washington  for 
his  services,  he  rose  to  express  his  acknowledgments, 
but  he  was  so  embarrassed  that  he  could  not  artic- 
ulate a  word.  "  Sit  down,  Mr.  Washington,"  said 
the  speaker,  "  your  modesty  equals  your  valor,  and 
that  surpasses  the  power  of  any  language  which  I 
possess." 

When  Adams  suggested  that  Congress  should  ap- 
point a  general,  and  hinted  plainly  at  Washington, 
who  happened  to  sit  near  the  door,  the  latter  rose, 
"  and,  with  his  usual  modesty,  darted  into  the  library 
room." 

Washington's  favorite  quotation  was  Addison's 
"  'Tis  not  in  mortals  to  command  success,"  but  he 
frequently  quoted  Shakespeare. 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         245 

Taste  for  Literature 

His  taste  for  literature  is  indicated  by  the  list  of 
books  which  he  ordered  for  his  library  at  the  close 
of  the  war:  "  Life  of  Charles  the  Twelfth,"  "  Life 
of  Louis  the  Fifteenth,"  "  Life  and  Reign  of  Peter 
the  Great,"  Robertson's  "  History  of  America," 
"Voltaire's  Letters,"  Vertol's  "Revolution  of 
Rome,"  "  Revolution  of  Portugal,"  Goldsmith's 
"  Natural  History,"  "  Campaigns  of  Marshal 
Turenne,"  Chambaud's  "  French  and  English  Dic- 
tionary," Locke  "  On  the  Human  Understanding," 
and  Robertson's  "Charles  the  Fifth."  "Light 
reading,"  he  wrote  to  his  step-grandson,  "  (by  this 
I  mean  books  of  little  importance)  may  amuse  for 
the  moment,  but  leaves  nothing  behind." 

His  Dress 

Although  always  very  particular  about  his  dress, 
Washington  was  no  dandy,  as  some  have  supposed. 
"  Do  not,"  he  wrote  to  his  nephew  in  1783,  "  con- 
ceive that  fine  clothes  make  fine  men  any  more  than 
fine  feathers  make  fine  birds.  A  plain,  genteel  dress 
is  more  admired  and  obtains  more  credit  than  lace 
or  embroidery  in  the  eyes  of  the  judicious  and 
sensible." 

Sullivan  thus  describes  Washington  at  a  levee: 
"  He  was  dressed  in  black  velvet,  his  hair  full  dress, 
powdered,  and  gathered  behind  in  a  large  silk  bag, 
yellow  gloves  on  his  hands;  holding  a  cocked  hat, 
with  a  cockade  in  it,  and  the  edges  adorned  with  a 


246         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

black  feather  about  an  inch  deep.  He  wore  knee 
and  shoe  buckles,  and  a  long  sword.  .  .  .  The 
scabbard  was  of  white  polished  leather." 

After  Cornwallis's  surrender  at  Yorktown,  Wash- 
ington said  to  his  army :  "  My  brave  fellows,  let  no 
sensation  of  satisfaction  for  the  triumphs  you  have 
gained  induce  you  to  insult  your  fallen  enemy.  Let 
no  shouting,  no  clamorous  huzzaing  increase  their 
mortification.  It  is  sufficient  for  us  that  we  wit- 
ness their  humiliation.  Posterity  will  huzza,  for 
us." 

While  there  are  many  stories  which  show  Wash- 
ington's straightforwardness,  here  is  one  which 
shows  much  diplomacy.  He  was  asked  by  Volney, 
a  Frenchman  and  a  revolutionist,  for  a  letter  of 
recommendation  to  the  American  people.  This  re- 
quest put  him  in  an  awkward  position,  for  there 
were  good  reasons  why  he  could  not  give  it,  and 
other  good  reasons  why  he  did  not  wish  to  refuse. 
Taking  a  sheet  of  paper,  he  wrote : 

C.  Volney  needs  no  recommendation  from 

Geo.  Washington. 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         247 
GREAT  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 1 

BY  KATE  DOUGLAS  WIGGIN  AND  NORA  A.  SMITH 

All  this  time  while  George  Washington  had  been 
growing  up, — first  a  little  boy,  then  a  larger  boy, 
and  then  a  young  surveyor, — all  this  time  the  French 
and  English  and  Indians  were  unhappy  and  uncom- 
fortable in  the  country  north  of  Virginia.  The 
French  wanted  all  the  land,  so  did  the  English,  and 
the  Indians  saw  that  there  would  be  no  room  for 
them,  whichever  had  it,  so  they  all  began  to  trouble 
each  other,  and  to  quarrel  and  fight. 

These  troubles  grew  so  bad  at  last  that  the 
Virginians  began  to  be  afraid  of  the  French  and 
Indians,  and  thought  they  must  have  some  soldiers 
of  their  own  ready  to  fight. 

George  Washington  was  only  nineteen  then,  but 
everybody  knew  he  was  wise  and  brave,  so  they 
chose  him  to  teach  the  soldiers  near  his  home  how 
to  march  and  to  fight. 

Then  the  king  and  the  people  of  England  grew 
very  uneasy  at  all  this  quarreling,  and  they  sent 
over  soldiers  and  cannon  and  powder,  and  com- 
menced to  get  ready  to  fight  in  earnest.  Washing- 
ton was  made  a  major,  and  he  had  to  go  a  thousand 
miles,  in  the  middle  of  winter,  into  the  Indian  and 
French  country,  to  see  the  chiefs  and  the  soldiers, 
and  find  out  about  the  troubles. 

1  From  "  The  Story  Hour "  by  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin 
and  Nora  A.  Smith.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  publishers. 


248         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

When  he  came  back  again,  all  the  people  were  so 
pleased  with  his  courage  and  with  the  wise  way  in 
which  he  had  behaved,  that  they  made  him  lieu- 
tenant-colonel. 

Then  began  a  long  war  between  the  French  and 
the  English,  which  lasted  seven  years.  Washington 
fought  through  all  of  it,  and  was  made  a  colonel, 
and  by  and  by  commander  of  all  the  soldiers  in 
Virginia.  He  built  forts  and  roads,  he  gained  and 
lost  battles,  he  fought  the  Indians  and  the  French ; 
and  by  all  this  trouble  and  hard  work  he  learned  to 
be  a  great  soldier. 

In  many  of  the  battles  of  this  war,  Washington 
and  the  Virginians  did  not  wear  a  uniform,  like 
the  English  soldiers,  but  a  buckskin  shirt  and  fringed 
leggings,  like  the  Indians. 

From  beginning  to  end  of  some  of  the  battles, 
Washington  rode  about  among  the  men,  telling  them 
where  to  go  and  how  to  fight;  the  bullets  were 
whistling  around  him  all  the  time,  but  he  said  he 
liked  the  music. 

By  and  by  the  war  was  over;  the  French  were 
driven  back  to  their  own  part  of  the  country,  and 
Washington  went  home  to  Mount  Vernon  to  rest, 
and  took  with  him  his  wife,  lovely  Martha  Washing- 
ton, whom  he  had  met  and  married  while  he  was 
fighting  the  French  and  Indians. 

While  he  was  at  Mount  Vernon  he  saw  all  his 
horses  again, — "  Valiant "  and  "  Magnolia  "  and 
"  Chinkling  "  and  "  Ajax," — and  had  grand  gallops 
over  the  country. 

He  had  some  fine  dogs,  too,  to  run  by  his  side, 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES          249 

and  help  him  hunt  the  bushy-tailed  foxes.  "  Vul- 
can "  and  "  Ringwood  "  and  "  Music  "  and  "  Sweet- 
lips  "  were  the  names  of  some  of  them.  You  may 
be  sure  the  dogs  were  glad  when  they  had  their 
master  home  again. 

But  Washington  did  not  have  long  to  rest,  for 
another  war  was  coming,  the  great  war  of  the 
Revolution. 

Little  children  cannot  understand  all  the  reasons 
for  this  war,  but  I  can  tell  you  some  of  them. 

You  remember  in  the  story  of  Thanksgiving  I 
told  you  about  the  Pilgrim  fathers,  who  came  from 
England  to  this  country  because  their  king  would 
not  let  them  pray  to  God  as  they  liked.  That 
king  was  dead  now,  and  there  was  another  in  his 
place,  a  king  with  the  name  of  George,  like  our 
Washington. 

Now  our  great-grandfathers  had  always  loved 
England  and  Englishmen,  because  many  of  their 
friends  were  still  living  there,  and  because  it  was 
their  old  home. 

The  king  gave  them  governors  to  help  take  care 
of  their  people,  and  soldiers  to  fight  for  them,  and 
they  sent  to  England  for  many  things  to  wear  and 
to  eat. 

But  just  before  this  Revolutionary  War,  the  king 
and  the  great  men  who  helped  him  began  to  say 
that  things  should  be  done  in  this  country  that  our 
people  did  not  think  right  at  all.  The  king  said 
they  must  buy  expensive  stamps  to  put  on  all  their 
newspapers  and  almanacs  and  lawyer's  papers,  and 
that  they  must  pay  very  high  taxes  on  their  tea  and 


250         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

paper  and  glass,  and  he  sent  soldiers  to  see  that  this 
was  done. 

This  made  our  great-grandfathers  very  angry. 
They  refused  to  pay  the  taxes,  they  would  not  buy 
anything  from  England  any  more,  and  some  men 
even  went  on  board  the  ships,  as  they  came  into 
Boston  Harbor,  and  threw  the  tea  over  into  the 
water. 

So  fifty-one  men  were  chosen  from  all  over  the 
country,  and  they  met  at  Philadelphia,  to  see  what 
could  be  done.  Washington  was  sent  from  Vir- 
ginia. And  after  they  had  talked  very  solemnly, 
they  all  thought  there  would  be  great  trouble  soon, 
and  Washington  went  home  to  drill  the  soldiers. 

Then  the  war  began  with  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
in  New  England,  and  soon  Washington  was  made 
commander-in-chief  of  the  armies. 

He  rode  the  whole  distance  from  Philadelphia  to 
Boston  on  horseback,  with  a  troop  of  officers;  and 
all  the  people  on  the  way  came  to  see  him,  bringing 
bands  of  music  and  cheering  him  as  he  went  by.  He 
rode  into  camp  in  the  morning.  The  soldiers  were 
drawn  up  in  the  road,  and  men  and  women  and  chil- 
dren who  had  come  to  look  at  Washington  were 
crowded  all  about.  They  saw  a  tall,  splendid,  hand- 
some man  in  a  blue  coat  with  buff  facings,  and 
epaulets  on  his  shoulders.  As  he  took  off  his  hat, 
drew  his  shining  sword,  and  raised  it  in  sight  of  all 
the  people,  the  cannon  began  to  thunder,  and  all 
the  people  hurrahed  and  tossed  their  hats  in  the 
air. 

Of  course,  he  looked  very  splendid,  and  they  all 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         251 

knew  how  brave  he  was,  and  thought  he  would  soon 
put  an  end  to  the  war. 

But  it  did  not  happen  as  they  expected,  for  this 
was  only  the  beginning,  and  the  war  lasted  seven 
long  years. 

Fighting  is  always  hard,  even  if  you  have  plenty 
of  soldiers  and  plenty  for  them  to  eat;  but  Wash- 
ington had  very  few  soldiers,  and  very  little  powder 
for  the  guns,  and  little  food  for  the  men  to 
eat. 

The  soldiers  were  not  in  uniform,  as  ours  are 
to-day;  but  each  was  dressed  just  as  he  happened  to 
come  from  his  shop  or  his  farm. 

Washington  ordered  hunting  shirts  for  them,  such 
as  he  wore  when  he  went  to  fight  the  Indians,  for  he 
knew  they  would  look  more  like  soldiers  if  all  were 
dressed  alike. 

Of  course  many  people  thought  that  our  men 
would  be  beaten,  as  the  war  went  on;  but  Wash- 
ington never  thought  so,  for  he  was  sure  our  side 
was  right. 

I  hardly  know  what  he  would  have  done,  at  last, 
if  the  French  people  had  not  promised  to  come 
over  and  help  us,  and  to  send  us  money  and  men 
and  ships.  All  the  people  in  the  army  thanked 
God  when  they  heard  it,  and  fired  their  guns  for 
joy. 

A  brave  young  man  named  Lafayette  came  with 
the  French  soldiers,  and  he  grew  to  be  Washing- 
ton's great  friend,  and  fought  for  us  all  through  the 
Revolution. 

Many  battles  were  fought  in  this  war,  and  Wash- 


252         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

ington  lost  some  of  them,  and  a  great  many  of  his 
men  were  killed. 

You  could  hardly  understand  how  much  trouble 
he  had.  In  the  winter,  when  the  snow  was  deep 
on  the  ground,  he  had  no  houses  or  huts  for  his  men 
to  sleep  in ;  his  soldiers  were  ragged  and  cold  by 
day,  and  had  not  blankets  enough  to  keep  them 
warm  by  night;  their  shoes  were  old  and  worn, 
and  they  had  to  wrap  cloths  around  their  feet  to 
keep  them  from  freezing. 

When  they  marched  to  the  Delaware  River,  one 
cold  Christmas  night,  a  soldier  who  was  sent  after 
them,  with  a  message  for  Washington,  traced  them 
by  their  footprints  on  the  snow,  all  reddened  with 
the  blood  from  their  poor  cut  feet. 

They  must  have  been  very  brave  and  patient  to 
have  fought  at  all,  when  they  were  so  cold  and 
ragged  and  hungry. 

Washington  suffered  a  great  deal  in  seeing  his 
soldiers  so  wretched,  and  I  am  sure  that  with  all  his 
strength  and  courage,  he  would  sometimes  have 
given  up  hope,  if  he  had  not  talked  and  prayed  to 
God  a  great  deal,  and  asked  Him  to  help  him. 

In  one  of  the  hardest  times  of  the  whole  war, 
Washington  was  staying  at  a  farmer's  house.  One 
morning  he  rode  out  very  early  to  visit  the  soldiers. 
The  farmer  went  into  the  fields  soon  after,  and  as 
he  was  passing  a  brook  where  a  great  many  bushes 
were  growing,  he  heard  a  deep  voice  from  the 
thicket.  He  looked  through  the  leaves,  and  saw 
Washington  on  his  knees,  on  the  ground,  praying 
to  God  for  his  soldiers.  He  had  fastened  his  horse 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         253 

to  a  tree,  and  come  away  by  himself  to  ask  God 
to  help  them. 

At  last  the  war  came  to  an  end ;  the  English  were 
beaten,  and  our  armies  sent  up  praise  and  thanks 
to  God. 

Then  the  soldiers  went  quietly  back  to  their 
homes,  and  Washington  bade  all  his  officers  good-by, 
and  thanked  them  for  their  help  and  their  courage. 

The  little  room  in  New  York  where  he  said  fare- 
well is  kept  to  show  to  visitors  now,  and  you  can 
see  it  some  day  yourselves. 

Then  Washington  went  home  to  Mount  Vernon 
to  rest;  but  before  he  had  been  there  long,  the 
people  found  out  that  they  must  have  someone  to 
help  take  care  of  them,  as  they  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  king  of  England  any  more;  and  they 
asked  Washington  to  come  and  be  the  first  President 
of  the  United  States. 

So  he  did  as  they  wished,  and  was  as  wise  and 
good,  and  as  careful  and  fine  a  President  as  he  had 
been  surveyor,  soldier,  and  general. 

You  know  we  always  call  Washington  the  Father 
of  his  Country,  because  he  did  so  much  for  us,  and 
helped  to  make  the  United  States  so  great. 

After  he  died,  there  were  parks  and  mountains 
and  villages  and  towns  and  cities  named  for  him 
all  over  the  land,  because  people  loved  him  so,  and 
prized  so  highly  what  he  had  done  for  them. 

In  the  city  of  Washington  there  is  a  building 
where  you  can  see  many  of  the  things  that  belonged 
to  the  first  President,  when  he  was  alive.  There  is 
his  soldier's  coat,  his  sword,  and  in  an  old  camp 


254         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

chest  are  the  plates  and  knives  and  forks  that  he 
used  in  the  Revolution. 

There  is  a  tall,  splendid  monument  of  shining 
gray  stone  in  that  city,  that  towers  far,  far,  above 
all  the  highest  roofs  and  spires.  It  was  built  in 
memory  of  George  Washington  by  the  people  of 
the  United  States,  to  show  that  they  loved  and 
would  always  remember  the  Father  of  his  Country. 


HEADQUARTERS  IN   1776 » 

BY  PAUL   LEICESTER   FORD 

On  September  15,  a  group  of  horsemen,  occupy- 
ing a  slight  eminence  of  ground  on  the  island  of 
Manhattan,  were  gazing  eastward.  Below  and 
nearer  the  water  were  spread  lines  of  soldiers  behind 
intrenchments,  while  from  three  men-of-war  lying 
in  the  river  came  a  heavy  cannonade  that  swept  the 
shore  line  and  spread  over  the  water  a  pall  of  smoke 
which,  as  it  drifted  to  leeward,  obscured  the  Long 
Island  shore  from  view. 

"  'Tis  evidently  a  feint,  your  Excellency,"  pres- 
ently asserted  one  of  the  observers,  "  to  cover  a 
genuine  attack  elsewhere — most  likely  above  the 
Haarlem." 

The  person  addressed — a  man  with  an  anxious, 
care-worn  face  that  made  him  look  fifty  at  least — 
lowered  his  glass,  but  did  not  reply  for  some  mo- 

JFrom  "Janice  Meredith."    Dodd,  Mead  &  Co. 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES         255 

ments.  "You  may  be  right,  sir,"  he  remarked, 
"  though  to  me  it  has  the  air  of  an  intended  at- 
tack. What  think  you,  Reed  ?  " 

"  I  agree  with  Mifflin.  "The  attack  will  be  higher 
up.  Hah!  Look  there  I'M 

A  rift  had  come  in  the  sfrioke,  and  a  column  of 
boats,  moving  with  well-timed  oars,  could  for  a  mo- 
ment be  seen  as  it  came  forward. 

"  They  intend  a  landing  at  Kip's  Bay,  as  I  sur- 
mised," exclaimed  the  general.  "  Gentlemen,  we 
shall  be  needed  below."  He  turned  to  Reed  and 
gave  him  an  order  concerning  reinforcements,  then 
wheeled,  and,  followed  by  the  rest,  trotted  over  the 
plowed  field.  Once  on  the  highway,  he  spurred  his 
horse,  putting  him  to  a  sharp  canter. 

"  What  troops  hold  the  works  on  the  bay, 
Mifflin?"  asked  one  of  the  riders. 

"  Fellows'  and  Parsons'  brigades,  Brereton." 

"If  they  are  as  good  at  fighting  as  at  thieving, 
they'll  distinguish  themselves." 

"  Ay,"  laughed  Mifflin.  "If  the  red  coats  were 
but  chickens  or  cattle,  the  New  England  militia 
would  have  had  them  all  captured  ere  now." 

"  They'll  be  heard  from  to-day,"  said  a  third  of- 
ficer. "  They've  earthworks  to  git  behind,  and 
they'll  give  the  British  anuther  Bunker  Hill." 

"  Then  you  ought  to  be  quick,  General  Putnam," 
said  Brereton,  "  for  that's  the  fighting  you  like." 

The  road  lay  in  the  hollow  of  the  land,  and  not 
till  the  party  reached  a  slight  rise  were  they  able 
once  more  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  shores  of  the 
bay.  Then  it  was  to  find  the  flotilla  well  in  toward 


256         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

its  intended  landing-place,  and  the  American  troops 
retreating  in  great  disorder  from  their  breast- 
works. 

Exclamations  of  surprise  and  dismay  sprang  from 
the  lips  of  the  riders,  and  their  leader,  turning  his 
horse,  jumped  the  fence  and  galloped  across  the 
fields  to  intercept  the  fugitives.  Five  minutes 
brought  them  up  to  the  runaways,  who,  out  of 
breath  with  the  sharpness  of  their  race,  had  come 
to  a  halt,  and  were  being  formed  by  their  officers 
into  a  little  less  disorder. 

"  General  Fellows,  what  was  the  reason  for  this 
shameful  retreat?"  demanded  the  general,  when 
within  speaking  distance. 

"  The  men  were  seized  with  a  panic  on  the  ap- 
proach of  the  boats,  your  Excellency,  and  could  not 
be  held  in  the  lines." 

Washington  faced  the  regiments,  his  face  blazing 
with  scorn.  "  You  ran  before  a  shot  had  been 
fired !  Before  you  lost  a  man,  you  deserted  works 
that  have  taken  weeks  to  build,  and  which  could  be 
held  against  any  such  force."  He  paused  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then,  drawing  his  sword,  called  with 
spirit :  "  Who's  for  recovering  them  ?  " 

A  faint  cheer  passed  down  the  lines;  but  almost 
as  it  sounded,  the  red  coats  of  fifty  or  sixty  light  in- 
fantry came  into  view  on  the  road,  a  skirmishing 
party  thrown  forward  from  the  landing  to  recon- 
noiter.  Had  they  been  Howe's  whole  army,  how- 
ever, they  could  not  have  proved  more  effective,  for 
instantly  the  two  brigades  broke  and  dissolved  once 
more  into  squads  of  flying  men. 


ANECDOTES  AND  STORIES          257 

At  such  cowardice,  Washington  lost  all  control  of 
himself,  and,  dashing  in  among  the  fugitives,  he 
passionately  struck  right  and  left  with  the  flat  of 
his  sword,  thundering  curses  at  them;  while  Put- 
nam and  Mifflin,  as  well  as  the  aides,  followed  his 
example.  It  was  hopeless,  however,  to  stay  the  rush ; 
the  men  took  the  blows  and  the  curses  unheeding, 
while  throwing  away  their  guns  and  scattering  in 
every  direction. 

Made  frantic  by  such  conduct,  Washington 
wheeled  his  horse.  "  Charge !  "  he  cried,  and  rode 
toward  the  enemy,  waving  his  sword. 

If  the  commander-in-chief  had  hoped  to  put  some 
of  his  own  courage  into  the  troops  by  his  example, 
he  failed.  Not  a  man  of  the  runaways  ceased  flee- 
ing. None  the  less,  as  if  regardless  of  conse- 
quences in  his  desperation,  Washington  rode  on, 
until  one  of  the  aides  dashed  his  spurs  into  his 
horse  and  came  up  beside  his  general  at  a  mad 
gallop. 

"  Your  Excellency !  "  he  cried,  "  'tis  but  hopeless, 

and  will  but  end  in "  Then,  as  his  superior  did 

not  heed  him,  he  seized  the  left  rein  of  his  horse's 
bridle,  and,  pulling  on  it,  swung  him  about  in  a 
large  circle,  letting  go  his  hold  only  when  they  were 
riding  away  from  the  enemy. 

Washington  offered  no  resistance,  and  rode  the 
hundred  yards  to  where  the  rest  of  his  staff  were 
standing,  with  bowed  head.  Nothing  was  said  as 
he  rejoined  the  group,  and  Blueskin,  disappointed 
in  the  charge  for  which  he  had  shown  as  much 
eagerness  as  his  rider,  let  his  mind  recur  to  thoughts 


258         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

of  oats ;  finding  no  control  in  the  hand  that  held  his 
bridle,  he  set  out  at  an  easy  trot  toward  head- 
quarters. 

They  had  not  ridden  many  yards  ere  Washington 
lifted  his  head,  the  expression  of  hopelessness, 
which  had  taken  the  place  of  that  of  animation,  in 
turn  succeeded  by  one  of  stern  repose.  He  issued 
three  orders  to  as  many  of  the  riders,  showing  that 
his  mind  had  not  been  dwelling  idly  on  the  disaster, 
slipped  his  sword  into  its  scabbard,  and  gathered 
up  his  reins  again. 

"  There !  "  thought  Blueskin,  as  a  new  direction 
was  indicated  by  his  bit,  "  I'm  going  to  have 
another  spell  of  it  riding  all  ways  of  a  Sunday, 
just  as  we  did  last  night.  And  it's  coming  on  to 
rain."  • 

Rain  it  did  very  quickly;  but  from  post  to  post 
the  horsemen  passed,  the  sternly  silent  commander 
speaking  only  when  giving  the  necessary  orders  to 
remedy  so  far  as  possible  the  disaster  of  the  after- 
noon. Not  till  eleven,  and  then  in  a  thoroughly 
drenched  condition,  did  they  reach  the  Morris  House 
on  Haarlem  Heights.  It  was  to  no  rest,  however, 
that  the  general  arrived;  for,  as  he  dismounted, 
Major  Gibbs  of  his  life  guards  informed  him  that 
the  council  of  war  he  had  called  was  gathered,  and 
only  awaited  his  attendance. 

"  Get  you  some  supper,  gentlemen,"  he  ordered, 
to  such  of  his  aides  as  were  still  of  the  party,  "  for 
'tis  likely  that  you  will  have  more  riding  when  the 
council  have  deliberated." 

"  'Tis  advice  he  might   take  himself  to  proper 


259 

advantage,"  said  one  of  the  juniors,  while  they 
were  stripping  off  their  wet  coverings  in  a  side 
room. 

"  Ay,"  asserted  Brereton.  "  The  general  uses  us 
hard,  Tilghman,  but  he  uses  himself  harder."  Then 
aloud  he  called,  "Billy!" 

"Yis,  sah!" 

"  Make  a  glass  of  rum  punch  and  take  it  in  to  his 
Excellency." 

"  Foh  de  Lord,  sah,  I  doan  dar  go  in,  an'  yar 
know  marse  neber  drink  no  spirits  till  de  day's  work 
dun." 

"  Make  a  dish  of  tea,  then,  you  old  coward,  and 
I'll  take  it  to  him  so  soon  as  I  get  these  slops  off  me. 
'Fore  George!  How  small-clothes  stick  when 
they're  wet !  " 

The  make-shift  meal  was  still  unfinished  when 
the  general's  body-servant  appeared  with  the  tea. 
Taking  it,  Brereton  marched  boldly  to  the  council 
door,  and,  giving  a  knock,  he  went  in  without 
awaiting  a  reply. 

The  group  of  anxious-faced  men  about  the  table 
looked  up,  and  Washington,  with  a  frown,  de- 
manded, "  For  what  do  you  interrupt  us,  sir  ?  " 

The  young  officer  put  the  tea  down  on  the  map 
lying  in  front  of  the  general.  "  Billy  didn't  dare 
take  this  to  your  Excellency,  so  I  made  bold  to  e'en 
bring  it  myself." 

"  This  is  no  time  for  tea,  Colonel  Brereton." 
k     '  Tis  no  time  for  the  army  to  lose  their  general," 
replied  the  aide.     "  I  pray  you  drink  it,  sir,  for  our 
sake,  if  you  won't  for  your  own." 


260         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

A  kindly  look  supplanted  the  sternness  of  the 
previous  moment  on  the  general's  face.  "  I  thank 
you  for  your  thoughtfulness,  Brereton,"  he  said, 
raising  the  cup  and  pouring  some  of  the  steaming 
drink  into  the  saucer. 


SELECTIONS 

FROM  WASHINGTON'S  SPEECHES 
AND  WRITINGS 


SELECTIONS  FROM  THE  RULES  OF 
CIVILITY 

[Copied  by  Washington  at  the  age  of  fourteen  from 
an  old  translation  of  a  French  book  of  1595.  "  Wash- 
ington was  entirely  aware,"  writes  Owen  Wister,  "  of 
the  great  influence  for  good  exerted  upon  his  own 
character  by  the  Rules  of  Civility.  It  is  a  misfortune 
for  all  American  boys  in  all  our  schools  to-day,  that 
they  should  be  told  the  untrue  and  foolish  story  of  the 
hatchet  and  the  cherry  tree,  and  denied  the  immense 
benefit  of  instruction  from  George  Washington's 
authentic  copy-book."] 

Show  not  yourself  glad  at  the  misfortune  of  an-  ,' 
other,  though  he  were  your  enemy. 

When  you  see  a  crime  punished  you  may  be  in-  A«. 
wardly  pleased ;  but  always  show  pity  to  the  suffer-  ' 
ing  offender. 

Superfluous  compliments  and  all  affectation  of 
ceremony  are  to  be  avoided,  yet,  where  due,  they 
are  not  to  be  neglected. 

Do  not  express  joy  before  one  sick  or  in  pain, 
for  that  contrary  passion  will  aggravate  his  misery. 

When  a  man  does  all  he  can,  though  it  succeed 
not  well,  blame  not  him  that  did  it. 

Be  not  hasty  to  believe  flying  reports  to  the  dis-  ',•" 
paragement  of  any. 

In  your  apparel  be  modest,  and  endeavor  to  ac- 
commodate Nature,  rather  than  to  procure  admira- 
tion; keep  to  the  fashion  of  your  equals. 

Associate  yourself  with  men  of  good  quality,  if 
263 


264         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

you  esteem  your  own  reputation;  for  'tis  better  to 
be  alone  than  in  bad  company. 

Speak  not  injurious  words  neither  in  jest  nor  in 
earnest ;  scoff  at  none,  although  they  give  occasion. 

Gaze  not  at  the  marks  or  blemishes  of  others, 
and  ask  not  how  they  came.  What  you  may  speak 
in  secret  to  your  friend,  deliver  not  before  others. 

Nothing  but  harmony,  honest  industry,  and  fru- 
gality are  necessary  to  make  us  a  great  people. 
First  impressions  are  generally  the  most  lasting.  It 
is  therefore  absolutely  necessary,  if  you  mean  to 
make  any  figure  upon  the  stage,  that  you  should  take 
the  first  steps  right. 

There  is  a  destiny  which  has  the  control  of  our 
actions  not  to  be  resisted  by  the  strongest  efforts  of 
Human  Nature. 

Let  your  heart  feel  for  the  afflictions  and  dis- 
tresses of  everyone,  and  let  your  hand  give  in  pro- 
portion to  your  purse;  remembering  always  the 
widow's  mite,  but  that  it  is  not  everyone  who  asketh 
that  deserveth  charity;  all,  however,  are  worthy 
the  inquiry,  or  the  deserving  may  suffer. 

I  consider  storms  and  victory  under  the  direc- 
tion of  a  wise  Providence  who  no  doubt  directs 
them  for  the  best  purposes,  and  to  bring  round  the 
greatest  degree  of  happiness  to  the  greatest  number. 

Happiness  depends  more  upon  the  internal  frame 
of  a  person's  mind,  than  on  the  externals  in  the 
world. 

The  thinking  part  of  mankind  do  not  form  their 
judgments  from  events,  and  that  chief  equity  will 
ever  attach  equal  glory  to  those  actions  which  de- 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         265 

serve  success,  as  to  those  which  have  been  crowned 
with  it. 

To  see  plants  rise  from  the  earth  and  flourish  by 
the  superior  skill  and  bounty  of  the  laborer,  fills  a 
contemplative  mind  with  ideas  which  are  more  easy 
to  be  conceived  than  expressed. 

To  constitute  a  dispute  there  must  be  two 
parties.  To  understand  it  well,  both  parties  and  all 
the  circumstances  must  be  fully  heard;  and  to  ac- 
commodate differences,  temper  and  mutual  forbear- 
ance are  requisite. 

Idleness  is  disreputable  under  any  circumstances ; 
productive  of  no  good,  even  when  unaccompanied 
by  vicious  habits. 

It  is  not  uncommon  in  prosperous  gales  to  forget 
that  adverse  winds  blow. 

Economy  in  all  things  is  as  commendable  in  the   • 
manager,  as  it  is  beneficial  and  desirable  to  the 
employer. 

It  is  unfortunate  when  men  cannot  or  will  not  see 
danger  at  a  distance ;  or  seeing  it,  are  undetermined 
in  the  means  which  are  necessary  to  avert  or  keep  it 
afar  off. 

Every  man  who  is  in  the  vigor  of  life  ought  to  ' 
serve  his  country  in  whatever  line  it  requires,  and 
he  is  fit  for. 

Rise  early,  that  by  habit  it  may  become  familiar,  • 
agreeable,  healthy,  and  profitable.  It  may,  for  a 
while,  be  irksome  to  do  this,  but  that  will  wear  off ; 
and  the  practice  will  produce  a  rich  harvest  forever 
thereafter,  whether  in  public  or  in  private  walks  of 
life. 


266         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

SAID  BY  WASHINGTON 

To  be  prepared  for  war  is  one  of  the  most  ef- 
fectual means  of  preserving  peace. 


There  is  a  rank  due  to  the  United  States  among 
nations  which  will  be  withheld,  if  not  absolutely 
lost,  by  the  reputation  of  weakness. 

The  propitious  smiles  of  Heaven  can  never  be  ex- 
pected on  a  nation  that  disregards  the  eternal  rules 
of  order  and  right  which  Heaven  itself  has  or- 
dained. 


The  very  idea  of  the  power  and  right  of  the  peo- 
ple to  establish  government  presupposes  the  duty 
of  every  individual  to  obey  the  established  gov- 
ernment. 


If  there  was  the  same  propensity  in  mankind  for 
investigating  the  motives,  as  there  is  for  censuring 
the  conduct,  of  public  characters,  it  would  be  found 
that  the  censure  so  freely  bestowed  is  oftentimes 
unmerited  and  uncharitable. 


Where  is  the  man  to  be  found  who  wishes  to  re- 
main indebted  for  the  defense  of  his  own  person 
and  property  to  the  exertions,  the  bravery,  and  the 
blood  of  others,  without  making  one  generous  ef- 
fort to  repay  the  debt  of  honor  and  gratitude? 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         267 

There  is  no  truth  more  thoroughly  established 
than  that  there  exists  in  the  economy  and  course  of 
nature  an  indissoluble  union  between  virtue  and 
happiness,  between  dirty  and  advantage,  between  the 
genuine  maxims  of  an  honest  and  magnanimous  pol- 
icy and  the  solid  rewards  of  public  prosperity  and 
felicity. 


Against  the  insidious  wiles  of  foreign  influence 
the  jealousy  of  a  free  people  ought  to  be  constantly 
awake. 


It  is  our  true  policy  to  steer  clear  of  permanent 
alliances  with  any  portion  of  the  foreign  world. 

The  great  rule  of  conduct  for  us  in  regard  to  for- 
eign nations  is  to  have  with  them  as  little  political 
connection  as  possible. 


There  can  be  no  greater  error  than  to  expect  or 
calculate  upon  real  favors  from  nation  to  nation. 


Why,  by  interweaving  our  destiny  with  that  of 
any  part  of  Europe,  entangle  our  peace  and  pros- 
perity in  the  toils  of  European  ambition,  rivalship, 
interest,  humor,  or  caprice? 


The  name  American  must  always  exalt  the  just 
pride  of  Patriotism. 


To  the  efficacy  and  permanency  of  your  union  a 
government  for  the  whole  is  indispensable. 


268         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Every  attempt  to  alienate  any  portion  of  our 
country  from  the  rest  should  be  indignantly  frowned 
upon. 


Let  us  impart  all  the  blessings  we  possess,  or  ask 
for  ourselves,  to  the  whole  family  of  mankind. 


^  Let  us  erect  a  standard  to  which  the  wise  and 
honest  may  repair. 


'Tis  substantially  true  that  virtue  or  morality  is  a 
necessary  spring  of  popular  government. 


It  is  incumbent  upon  every  person  of  every  de- 
scription to  contribute  to  his  country's  welfare. 


It  would  be  repugnant  to  the  vital  principles  of 
our  government  virtually  to  exclude  from  public 
trusts,  talents  and  virtue,  unless  accompanied  by 
wealth. 


Give  such  encouragements  to  our  own  navigation 
as  will  render  our  commerce  less  dependent  on  for- 
eign bottoms. 


I  have  never  made  an  appointment  from  a  desire 
to  serve  a  friend  or  relative. 


Labor  to  keep  alive  in  your  breast  that  little  spark 
of  celestial  fire,  conscience. 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         269 

WASHINGTON  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE  OF 
LONG  ISLAND,  AUGUST,  1776 

The  time  is  now  near  at  hand  which  must  prob- 
ably determine  whether  Americans  are  to  be  free- 
men or  slaves;  whether  they  are  to  have  any  prop- 
erty they  can  call  their  own;  whether  their  houses 
and  farms  are  to  be  pillaged  and  destroyed,  and 
themselves  consigned  to  a  state  of  wretchedness 
from  which  no  human  effort  will  deliver  them.  The 
fate  of  unborn  millions  will  now  depend,  under 
God,  on  the  courage  and  conduct  of  this  army.  Our 
cruel  and  unrelenting  enemy  leaves  us  only  the 
choice  of  a  brave  resistance,  or  the  most  abject  sub- 
mission. We  have,  therefore,  to  resolve  to  con- 
quer or  to  die. 

Our  own,  our  country's  honor,  calls  upon  us  for 
a  vigorous  and  manly  exertion;  and  if  we  now 
shamefully  fail,  we  shall  become  infamous  to  the 
whole  world.  Let  us,  then,  rely  on  the  goodness  of 
our  cause  and  the  aid  of  the  Supreme  Being,  in 
whose  hands  victory  is,  to  animate  and  encourage 
us  to  great  and  noble  actions.  The  eyes  of  all  our 
countrymen  are  now  upon  us;  and  we  shall  have 
their  blessings  and  praises  if,  happily,  we  are  the 
instruments  of  saving  them  from  the  tyranny  medi- 
tated against  them.  Let  us,  therefore,  animate  and 
encourage  each  other,  and  show  the  whole  world 
that  a  freeman  contending  for  liberty  on  his  own 
ground  is  superior  to  any  slavish  mercenary  on 
earth. 


270         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Liberty,  property,  life,  and  honor  are  all  at  stake. 
Upon  your  courage  and  conduct  rest  the  hopes  of 
our  bleeding  and  insulted  country.  Our  wives,  chil- 
dren, and  parents  expect  safety  from  us  only;  and 
they  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  Heaven  will 
crown  with  success  so  just  a  cause.  The  enemy 
will  endeavor  to  intimidate  by  show  and  appearance ; 
but  remember  they  have  been  repulsed  on  various 
occasions  by  a  few  brave  Americans.  Their  cause 
is  bad, — their  men  are  conscious  of  it;  and,  if  op~ 
posed  with  firmness  and  coolness  on  their  first  on- 
set, with  our  advantage  of  works  and  knowledge 
of  the  ground,  the  victory  is  most  assuredly  ours. 
Every  good  soldier  will  be  silent  and  attentive,  wait 
for  orders,  and  reserve  his  fire  until  he  is  sure  of 
doing  execution. 


FROM  VARIOUS  LETTERS,   SPEECHES, 
AND  ADDRESSES 

To  the  Captains  of  Several  Independent  Companies 
in  Virginia.    Philadelphia,  June,  1775 

"  Gentlemen, 

"  I  am  now  about  to  bid  adieu  to  the  companies 
under  your  respective  commands,  at  least  for  a  time. 
I  have  launched  into  a  wide  and  extensive  field,  too 
boundless  for  my  abilities,  and  far,  very  far,  beyond 
my  experience.  I  am  called  by  the  unanimous  voice 
of  the  Colonies  to  the  command  of  the  Continental 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         271 

army;  an  honor  I  did  not  aspire  to,  an  honor  I 
was  solicitous  to  avoid,  upon  a  full  conviction  of  my 
inadequacy  to  the  importance  of  the  service.  I  have 
only  to  beg  of  you,  therefore,  before  I  go,  by  no 
means  to  relax  in  the  discipline  of  your  respective 
companies. 

"  I  cannot  doubt  but  the  asserters  of  freedom 
and  the  right  of  the  Constitution  are  possessed  of 
your  most  favorable  regards  and  wishes  for  suc- 
cess. As  descendants  of  freedom,  and  heirs  with 
us  of  the  same  glorious  inheritance,  we  flatter  our- 
selves that,  though  divided  by  our  situation,  we  are 
firmly  united  in  sentiment.  The  cause  of  virtue 
and  liberty  is  confined  to  no  continent  or  climate. 
It  comprehends  within  its  capacious  limits  the  wise 
and  good,  however  dispersed  and  separated  in  space 
and  distance." 

To  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Island  of  Bermuda 

"  While  we  are  contending  for  our  own  liberty,  we 
should  be  very  cautious  not  to  violate  the  rights  of 
conscience  in  others,  ever  considering  that  God 
alone  is  the  judge  of  the  hearts  of  men,  and  to  Him 
only  they  are  answerable." 

To  Colonel  Benedict  Arnold,  1775 

"  The  man  who  means  to  commit  no  wrong  will 
never  be  guilty  of  enormities;  consequently  he  can 
never  be  unwilling  to  learn  what  is  ascribed  to  him 
as  foibles.  If  they  are  really  such,  the  knowledge 
of  them  in  a  well-disposed  mind  will  go  half  way 


272         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

towards  a  reform.     If  they  are  not  errors  he  can  ex- 
plain and  justify  the  motives  of  his  actions." 


To  Patrick  Henry,  Valley  Forge,  2?th  March,  1778 

"  I  have  ever  been  happy  in  supposing  that  I  had 
a  place  in  your  esteem,  and  the  proof  you  have  af- 
forded makes  me  peculiarly  so.  The  favorable  light 
in  which  you  hold  me  is  truly  flattering ;  but  I  should 
feel  much  regret,  if  I  thought  the  happiness  of 
America  so  intimately  connected  with  my  personal 
welfare  as  you  so  obligingly  seem  to  consider  it. 
All  I  can  say  is,  that  she  has  ever  had,  and  I  trust 
she  ever  will  have,  my  honest  exertions  to  promote 
her  interest.  I  cannot  hope  that  my  services  have 
been  the  best ;  but  my  heart  tells  me  they  have  been 
the  best  that  I  could  render. 

"  However  it  may  be  the  practice  of  the  world 
and  those  who  see  objects  but  partially  or  through 
a  false  medium,  to  consider  that  only  as  meritorious 
which  is  attended  with  success,  I  have  accustomed 
myself  to  judge  human  actions  very  differently,  and 
to  appreciate  them  by  the  manner  in  which  they  are 
conducted  more  than  by  the  event;  which  it  is  not 
in  the  power  of  human  foresight  and  prudence  to 
command. 

"  My  political  creed  is,  to  be  wise  in  the  choice  of 
delegates,  support  them  like  gentlemen  while  they 
are  our  representatives,  give  them  complete  powers 
for  all  federal  purposes,  support  them  in  the  due  ex- 
ercise thereof,  and  lastly,  to  compel  them  to  close 
attendance  in  Congress  during  their  delegation. 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         273 

"  We  ought  not  to  look  back  unless  it  is  to  derive 
useful  lessons  from  past  errors,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  profiting  by  dearly  bought  experience.  To  en- 
veigh  against  things  that  are  past  and  irremediable 
is  unpleasing;  but  to  steer  clear  of  the  shelves  and 
rocks  we  have  struck  upon  is  the  part  of  wisdom, 
equally  as  incumbent  on  political  as  other  men  who 
have  their  own  little  bark  or  that  of  others  to  nav- 
igate through  the  intricate  paths  of  life,  or  the 
trackless  ocean,  to  the  haven  of  security  or  rest." 

Extracts  from  a  Circular  Letter  Addressed  to  the 
Governors  of  All  the  States  on  Disbanding  the 
Army,  Newburgh,  8  June, 


"Sir:  —  The  great  object  for  which  I  had  the 
honor  to  hold  an  appointment  in  the  service  of  my 
country,  being  accomplished,  I  am  now  preparing 
to  resign  it  into  the  hands  of  Congress,  and  to  re- 
turn to  that  domestic  retirement  which  it  is  well 
known  I  left  with  the  greatest  reluctance;  a  retire- 
ment for  which  I  have  never  ceased  to  sigh,  through 
a  long  and  painful  absence,  and  in  which  I  meditate 
to  pass  the  remainder  of  life,  in  a  state  of  undis- 
turbed repose.  But  before  I  carry  this  resolution 
into  effect,  I  think  it  a  duty  incumbent  on  me  to 
make  this,  my  last  official  communication;  to  con- 
gratulate you  on  the  glorious  events  which  Heaven 
has  been  pleased  to  produce  in  our  favor;  to  offer 
my  sentiments  respecting  some  important  subjects 
which  appear  to  me  to  be  intimately  connected  with 
the  tranquillity  of  the  United  States,  to  take  my 


274         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

leave  of  your  excellency  as  a  public  character,  and 
to  give  my  final  blessing  to  that  country  in  whose 
service  I  have  spent  the  prime  of  my  life,  for 
whose  sake  I  have  consumed  so  many  anxious 
days  and  watchful  nights,  and  whose  happiness,  be- 
ing so  extremely  dear  to  me,  will  always  constitute 
no  inconsiderable  part  of  my  own." 

From  the  same  circular  letter: 

"  The  foundation  of  our  empire  was  not  laid  in 
the  gloomy  age  of  ignorance  and  superstition,  but 
at  an  epoch  when  the  rights  of  mankind  were  better 
understood  and  more  clearly  defined  than  at  any 
former  period.  The  researches  of  the  human  mind 
after  social  happiness  have  been  carried  to  a  great 
extent;  the  treasures  of  knowledge,  acquired  by 
the  labors  of  philosophers,  sages,  and  legislators 
through  a  long  succession  of  years,  are  laid  open  for 
our  use,  and  their  collected  wisdom  may  be  happily 
applied  in  the  establishment  of  our  forms  of  gov- 
ernment." 

From  the  same: 

"  The  free  cultivation  of  letters,  the  unbounded 
extension  of  commerce,  the  progressive  refinement 
of  manners,  the  growing  liberality  of  sentiment,  and, 
above  all,  the  power  and  benign  light  of  revelation, 
have  had  a  meliorating  influence  on  mankind,  and 
increased  the  blessings  of  society.  An  indissoluble 
union  of  the  states  under  one  federal  head — a  sacred 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         275 

regard  to  public  justice — the  adoption  of  a  proper 
peace  establishment,  and  the  prevalence  of  that 
pacific  and  friendly  disposition  among  the  people 
of  the  United  States  which  will  induce  them  to  for- 
get their  local  prejudices  and  politics;  to  make  those 
mutual  concessions  which  are  requisite  to  the  gen- 
eral prosperity,  and  in  some  instances  to  sacrifice 
their  individual  advantages  to  the  interest  of  the 
community — these  are  the  pillars  on  which  the 
glorious  fabric  of  our  independence  and  national 
character  must  be  supported.  Liberty  is  the  basis, 
and  whoever  would  dare  to  sap  the  foundation  or 
overturn  the  structure,  under  whatever  specious 
pretext  he  may  attempt  it,  will  merit  the  bitterest 
execration,  and  the  severest  punishment  which  can 
be  inflicted  by  his  injured  country." 

From  the  same : 

"  I  now  make  it  my  earnest  prayer  that  God 
would  have  you  and  the  State  over  which  you  pre- 
side in  His  holy  protection,  that  He  would  incline 
the  hearts  of  the  citizens  to  cultivate  a  spirit  of  sub- 
ordination and  obedience  to  the  government;  to  en- 
tertain a  brotherly  affection  and  love  for  one  an- 
other and  for  their  fellow-citizens  of  the  United 
States  at  large,  and  particularly  for  their  brethren 
who  have  served  in  the  field,  and  finally  that  He 
would  most  graciously  be  pleased  to  dispose  us  all 
to  do  justice,  to  love  mercy,  and  to  demean  our- 
selves with  that  charity,  humility,  and  pacific  temper 
of  mind,  which  were  the  characteristics  of  the  Di- 


276         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

vine  Author  of  our  blessed  religion,  and  without  an 
humble  imitation  of  whose  example  in  these  things 
we  can  never  hope  to  be  a  happy  nation." 


Washington  on  Slavery 

"  There  is  not  a  man  living  who  wishes  more  sin- 
cerely than  I  do  to  see  a  plan  adopted  for  the  aboli- 
tion of  slavery ;  but  there  is  only  one  proper  and  ef- 
fectual mode  by  which  it  can  be  accomplished,  and 
that  is  by  legislative  authority,  and  this  as  far  as 
my  suffrage  will  go  shall  never  be  wanting." 

In  a  Letter  to  Lafayette,  Washington  Expresses  His 
Views  on  Commerce 

"  Although  I  pretend  to  no  peculiar  information 
respecting  commercial  affairs,  nor  any  foresight 
into  the  scenes  of  futurity,  yet,  as  a  member  of  an 
infant  empire,  as  a  philanthropist  by  character,  and 
if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression,  as  a  citizen  of 
the  great  republic  of  humanity  at  large,  I  cannot 
help  turning  my  attention  sometimes  to  this  subject. 
I  would  be  understood  to  mean  I  cannot  avoid  re- 
flecting with  pleasure  on  the  probable  influence  that 
commerce  may  hereafter  have  on  human  manners 
and  society  in  general.  On  these  occasions  I  con- 
sider how  mankind  may  be  connected  like  this  one 
great  family  of  fraternal  ties.  I  indulge  a  fond, 
perhaps  an  enthusiastic  idea,  that  as  the  world  is 
evidently  much  less  barbarous  than  it  has  been,  its 
melioration  must  still  be  progressive;  that  nations 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         277 

are  becoming  more  humanized  in  their  policy,  that 
the  subjects  of  ambition  and  causes  for  hostility  are 
daily  diminishing,  and  in  fine,  that  the  period  is  not 
very  remote  when  the  benefits  of  a  liberal  and  free 
commerce  will  pretty  generally  succeed  to  the  de- 
vastations and  horrors  of  war. 

"  Men's  minds  are  as  varied  as  their  faces,  and 
where  the  motives  to  their  actions  are  pure,  the 
operation  of  the  former  is  no  more  to  be  imputed 
to  them  as  a  crime  than  the  appearance  of  the  lat- 
ter ;  for  both  being  the  work  of  nature,  are  equally 
unavoidable.  Liberality  and  charity,  instead  of 
clamor  and  misrepresentation,  which  latter  only 
serve  to  foment  the  passions  without  enlightening 
the  understanding,  ought  to  govern  in  all  disputes 
about  matters  of  importance." 

From  a  Letter,  1793 

"  If  it  can  be  esteemed  a  happiness  to  live  in  an 
age  productive  of  great  and  interesting  events,  we 
of  the  present  age  are  very  highly  favored.  The 
rapidity  of  national  revolutions  appears  no  less 
astonishing  than  their  magnitude.  In  what  they  will 
terminate  is  known  only  to  the  Great  Ruler  of 
events ;  and  confiding  in  His  wisdom  and  goodness, 
we  may  safely  trust  the  issue  to  Him,  without  per- 
plexing ourselves  to  seek  for  that  which  is  beyond 
human  ken,  only  taking  care  to  perform  the  parts 
assigned  to  us  in  a  way  that  reason  and  our  own 
conscience  approve." 


278         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

From  a  Speech  to  Both  Houses  of  Congress,  1790 

"  To  administer  justice  to  and  receive  it  from 
every  power  with  whom  they  are  connected  will,  I 
hope,  be  always  found  the  prominent  feature  in  the 
administration  of  this  country;  and  I  flatter  my- 
self that  nothing  short  of  imperious  necessity  can 
occasion  a  breach  with  any  of  them. 

"  Knowledge  is  in  every  country  the  surest  basis 
of  public  happiness.  In  one  of  which  the  measures 
of  government  receive  their  impression  so  immedi- 
ately from  the  sense  of  the  community  as  in  ours,  it 
is  proportionably  essential.  To  the  security  of  a 
free  constitution  it  contributes  in  various  ways ;  by 
convincing  those  who  are  entrusted  with  the  public 
administration  that  every  valuable  end  of  govern- 
ment is  best  answered  by  the  enlightened  confidence 
of  the  people,  and  by  teaching  the  people  themselves 
to  know  and  to  value  their  own  rights;  to  discern 
and  to  provide  against  invasions  of  them;  to  dis- 
tinguish between  oppression  and  the  necessary  ex- 
ercise of  lawful  authority ;  to  discriminate  the  spirit 
of  liberty  from  that  of  licentiousness,  cherishing  the 
first,  avoiding  the  latter,  and  uniting  a  speedy  but 
temperate  vigilance  against  encroachment  with  an 
inviolable  respect  to  the  laws." 


"  Let  praise  be  given  to  every  description  of  citi- 
zens. Let  them  persevere  in  their  affectionate  vig- 
ilance over  that  precious  depository  of  American 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         279 

happiness,  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
Let  them  cherish  it,  too,  for  the  sake  of  those,  from 
every  clime,  daily  seeking  a  dwelling  in  our  land. 
"  Let  us  unite,  therefore,  in  imploring  the  Su- 
preme Ruler  of  nations  to  spread  His  holy  protec- 
tion over  these  United  States;  to  enable  us  at  all 
times  to  root  out  internal  seditions  and  put  invasion 
to  flight ;  to  perpetuate  to  our  country  that  prosper- 
ity which  His  goodness  has  already  conferred;  and 
to  verify  the  anticipations  of  this  government  being 
a  safeguard  to  human  rights." 


WASHINGTON'S  FAREWELL  TO  THE 
ARMY 

Dated  at  Rocky  Hill,  near  Princeton,  New  Jersey, 
November  2,  1783 

It  is  universally  acknowledged  that  the  enlarged 
prospects  of  happiness,  opened  by  the  confirmation 
of  our  independence  and  sovereignty,  almost  ex- 
ceed the  power  of  description.  And  shall  not  the 
brave  men  who  have  contributed  so  essentially  to 
these  inestimable  acquisitions,  retiring  from  the 
field  of  war  to  the  field  of  agriculture,  participate  in 
all  the  blessings  which  have  been  obtained?  In 
such  a  republic,  who  will  exclude  them  from  the 
rights  of  citizens  and  the  fruits  of  their  labors? 

To  those  hardy  soldiers  who  are  actuated  by  the 
spirit  of  adventure,  the  fisheries  will  afford  ample 


28o         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

and  profitable  employment,  and  the  extensive  and 
fertile  regions  of  the  West  will  yield  a  most  happy 
asylum  to  those  who,  fond  of  domestic  employment, 
are  seeking  personal  independence. 

Little  is  now  wanting  to  enable  the  soldier  to 
change  the  military  character  into  that  of  a  citi- 
zen but  that  steady  and  decent  behavior  which  has 
distinguished  not  only  the  army  under  this  im- 
mediate command,  but  the  different  detachments  and 
separate  armies  through  the  course  of  the  war.  To 
the  various  branches  of  the  army  the  general  takes 
this  last  and  solemn  opportunity  of  professing  his 
inviolable  attachment  and  friendship.  He  can  only 
again  offer  in  their  behalf  his  recommendations  to 
their  grateful  country  and  his  prayers  to  the  God 
of  armies.  May  ample  justice  be  done  them  here, 
and  may  favors,  both  here  and  hereafter,  attend 
those  who,  under  the  divine  auspices,  have  secured 
innumerable  blessings  for  others ! 

With  these  wishes  and  this  benediction  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  is  about  to  retire  from  service.  The 
curtain  of  separation  will  soon  be  drawn,  and  the 
military  scene  to  him  will  be  closed  forever! 


PRESIDENT  WASHINGTON'S  RESPONSE 
TO  THE  FRENCH  AMBASSADOR  ON  RE- 
CEIPT OF  THE  COLORS  OF  FRANCE,  1769 

Born,  sir,  in  a  land  of  liberty,  having  early 
learned  its  value,  having  engaged  in  a  perilous  con- 
flict to  defend  it,  having,  in  a  word,  devoted  the 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS          281 

best  years  of  my  life  to  secure  it  a  permanent  estab- 
lishment in  our  own  country,  my  anxious  recollec- 
tions, my  sympathetic  feelings,  and  my  best  wishes 
are  irresistibly  excited  whensoever,  in  any  country, 
I  see  an  oppressed  nation  unfurl  the  banners  of  free- 
dom. But  above  all,  the  events  of  the  French 
Revolution  have  produced  the  deepest  solicitude  as 
well  as  the  highest  admiration.  To  call  your  na- 
tion brave  were  to  pronounce  but  common  praise. 
Wonderful  people!  Ages  to  come  will  read  with 
astonishment  the  history  of  your  brilliant  exploits. 

I  rejoice  that  the  period  of  your  toils  and  of  your 
immense  sacrifices  is  approaching.  I  rejoice  that 
the  interesting  revolutionary  movements  of  so  many 
years  have  issued  in  the  formation  of  a  constitution 
designated  to  give  permanency  to  the  great  object 
for  which  you  have  contended.  I  rejoice  that  lib- 
erty, which  you  have  so  long  embraced  with  en- 
thusiasm, liberty,  of  which  you  have  been  the  in- 
vincible defenders,  now  finds  an  asylum  in  the  bosom 
of  a  regularly  organized  government;  a  govern^ 
ment  which,  being  formed  to  secure  the  happiness 
of  the  French  people,  corresponds  with  the  ardent 
wishes  of  my  heart,  while  it  gratifies  the  pride  of 
every  citizen  of  the  United  States  by  its  resemblance 
to  their  own.  On  these  glorious  events  accept,  sir, 
my  sincere  congratulations. 

In  delivering  to  you  these  sentiments,  I  express 
not  my  own  feelings  only,  but  those  of  my  fellow- 
citizens,  in  relation  to  the  commencement,  the  prog- 
ress, and  the  issue  of  the  French  Revolution;  and 
they  will  cordially  join  with  me  in  purest  wishes  to 


282         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

the  Supreme  Being  that  the  citizens  of  our  sister 
republic,  our  magnanimous  allies,  may  soon  enjoy, 
in  peace,  that  liberty  which  they  have  purchased  at 
so  great  a  price,  and  all  the  happiness  which  liberty 
can  bestow. 

I  receive,  sir,  with  lively  sensibility,  the  symbol 
of  the  triumphs  and  of  the  enfranchisements  of  your 
nation,  the  colors  of  France,  which  you  have  now 
presented  to  the  United  States.  The  transaction 
will  be  announced  to  Congress,  and  the  colors  will 
be  deposited  with  those  archives  of  the  United  States 
which  are  at  once  the  evidences  and  the  memorials 
of  their  freedom  and  independence.  May  these  be 
perpetual;  and  may  the  friendship  of  the  two  re- 
publics be  commensurate  with  their  existence ! 


WASHINGTON'S  FAREWELL  ADDRESS 
To  the  People  of  the  United  States.      September 


Friends  and  Fellow-Citizens  : 

The  period  for  a  new  election  of  a  citizen,  to  ad- 
minister the  executive  Government  of  the  United 
States,  being  not  far  distant,  and  the  time  actually 
arrived,  when  your  thoughts  must  be  employed  in 
designating  the  person,  who  is  to  be  clothed  with 
that  important  trust,  it  appears  to  me  proper,  espe- 
cially as  it  may  conduce  to  a  more  distinct  expression 
of  the  public  voice,  that  I  should  now  apprise  you 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         283 

of  the  resolution  I  have  formed,  to  decline  being 
considered  among  the  number  of  those,  out  of  whom 
a  choice  is  to  be  made. 

I  beg  you,  at  the  same  time,  to  do  me  the  justice 
to  be  assured,  that  this  resolution  has  not  been 
taken  without  a  strict  regard  to  all  the  considerations 
appertaining  to  the  relation  which  binds  a  dutiful 
citizen  to  his  country ;  and  that,  in  withdrawing  the 
tender  of  service  which  silence  in  my  situation 
might  imply,  I  am  influenced  by  no  diminution  of 
zeal  for  your  future  interest ;  no  deficiency  of  grate- 
ful respect  for  your  past  kindness;  but  am  sup- 
ported by  a  full  conviction  that  the  step  is  com- 
patible with  both. 

The  acceptance  of,  and  continuance  hitherto  in 
the  office  to  which  your  suffrages  have  twice  called 
me,  have  been  a  uniform  sacrifice  of  inclination  to 
the  opinion  of  duty,  and  to  a  deference  for  what 
appeared  to  be  your  desire.  I  constantly  hoped, 
that  it  would  have  been  much  earlier  in  my  power, 
consistently  with  motives,  which  I  was  not  at  lib- 
erty to  disregard,  to  return  to  that  retirement,  from 
which  I  had  been  reluctantly  drawn.  The  strength 
of  my  inclination  to  do  this,  previous  to  the  last 
election,  had  even  led  to  the  preparation  of  an  ad- 
dress to  declare  it  to  you ;  but  mature  reflection  on 
the  then  perplexed  and  critical  posture  of  our  af- 
fairs with  foreign  nations,  and  the  unanimous  ad- 
vice of  persons  entitled  to  my  confidence,  impelled 
me  to  abandon  the  idea. 

I  rejoice  that  the  state  of  your  concerns,  external 
as  well  as  internal,  no  longer  renders  the  pursuit  of 


284         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

inclination  incompatible  with  the  sentiment  of  duty, 
or  propriety ;  and  am  persuaded,  whatever  partiality 
may  be  retained  for  my  services,  that,  in  the  pres- 
ent circumstances  of  our  country,  you  will  not  dis- 
approve my  determination  to  retire. 

The  impressions,  with  which  I  first  undertook  the 
arduous  trust,  were  explained  on  the  proper  occa- 
sion. In  the  discharge  of  this  trust,  I  will  only  say, 
that  I  have,  with  good  intentions,  contributed 
towards  the  organization  and  administration  of  the 
government  the  best  exertions  of  which  a  very  fal- 
lible judgment  was  capable.  Not  unconscious,  in 
the  outset,  of  the  inferiority  of  my  qualifications,  ex- 
perience in  my  own  eyes,  perhaps  still  more  in  the 
eyes  of  others,  has  strengthened  the  motives  to  dif- 
fidence of  myself;  and  every  day  the  increasing 
weight  of  years  admonishes  me  more  and  more,  that 
the  shade  of  retirement  is  as  necessary  to  me  as  it 
will  be  welcome.  Satisfied,  that,  if  any  circum- 
stances have  given  peculiar  value  to  my  services, 
they  were  temporary,  I  have  the  consolation  to  be- 
lieve, that,  while  choice  and  prudence  invite  me  to 
quit  the  political  scene,  patriotism  does  not  forbid  it. 

In  looking  forward  to  the  moment,  which  is  in- 
tended to  terminate  the  career  of  my  public  life, 
my  feelings  do  not  permit  me  to  suspend  the  deep 
acknowledgment  of  that  debt  of  gratitude,  which  I 
owe  to  my  beloved  country  for  the  many  honors  it 
has  conferred  upon  me ;  still  more  for  the  steadfast 
confidence  with  which  it  has  supported  me ;  and  for 
the  opportunities  I  have  thence  enjoyed  of  mani- 
festing my  inviolable  attachment,  by  services  faith- 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         285 

ful  and  persevering,  though  in  usefulness  unequal 
to  my  zeal.  If  benefits  have  resulted  to  our  country 
from  these  services,  let  it  always  be  remembered  to 
your  praise,  and  as  an  instructive  example  in  our 
annals,  that  under  circumstances  in  which  the 
passions,  agitated  in  every  direction,  were  liable  to 
mislead,  amidst  appearances  sometimes  dubious, 
vicissitudes  of  fortune  often  discouraging,  in  situa- 
tions in  which  not  un frequently  want  of  success  has 
countenanced  the  spirit  of  criticism,  the  constancy  of 
your  support  was  the  essential  prop  of  the  efforts, 
and  a  guarantee  of  the  plans  by  which  they  were 
effected.  Profoundly  penetrated  with  this  idea,  I 
shall  carry  it  with  me  to  my  grave,  as  a  strong  in- 
citement to  unceasing  vows  that  Heaven  may  con- 
tinue to  you  the  choicest  tokens  of  its  beneficence; 
that  your  union  and  brotherly  affection  may  be  per- 
petual ;  that  the  free  Constitution,  which  is  the  work 
of  your  hands,  may  be  sacredly  maintained ;  that  its 
administration  in  every  department  may  be  stamped 
with  wisdom  and  virtue;  that,  in  fine,  the  happi- 
ness of  the  people  of  these  States,  under  the  auspices 
of  liberty,  may  be  made  complete,  by  so  careful  a 
preservation  and  so  prudent  a  use  of  this  blessing, 
as  will  acquire  for  them  the  glory  of  recommending 
it  to  the  applause,  the  affection  and  adoption  of 
every  nation,  which  is  yet  a  stranger  to  it. 

Here,  perhaps,  I  ought  to  stop.  But  a  solicitude 
for  your  welfare,  which  cannot  end  but  with  my 
life,  and  the  apprehension  of  danger,  natural  to 
that  solicitude,  urge  me,  on  an  occasion  like  the 
present,  to  offer  to  your  solemn  contemplation,  and 


286         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

to  recommend  to  your  frequent  review,  some  senti- 
ments, which  are  the  result  of  much  reflection,  of 
no  inconsiderable  observation,  and  which  appear  to 
me  all  important  to  the  permanency  of  your  felicity 
as  a  People.  These  will  be  offered  to  you  with 
the  more  freedom,  as  you  can  only  see  in  them  the 
disinterested  warnings  of  a  parting  friend,  who  can 
possibly  have  no  personal  motive  to  bias  his  counsel. 
Nor  can  I  forget,  as  an  encouragement  to  it,  your 
indulgent  reception  of  my  sentiments  on  a  former 
and  not  dissimilar  occasion. 

Interwoven  as  is  the  love  of  liberty  with  every 
ligament  of  your  hearts,  no  recommendation  of 
mine  is  necessary  to  fortify  or  confirm  the  attach- 
ment. 

The  unity  of  Government,  which  constitutes  you 
one  people,  is  also  now  dear  to  you.  It  is  justly  so: 
for  it  is  a  main  pillar  in  the  edifice  of  your  real  in- 
dependence, the  support  of  your  tranquillity  at  home, 
your  peace  abroad;  of  your  safety;  of  your  pros- 
perity; of  that  very  liberty,  which  you  so  highly 
prize.  But  as  it  is  easy  to  foresee,  that,  from  differ- 
ent causes  and  from  different  quarters,  much  pains 
will  be  taken,  many  artifices  employed,  to  weaken 
in  your  minds  the  conviction  of  this  truth ;  as  this  is 
the  point  in  your  political  fortress  against  which  the 
batteries  of  internal  and  external  enemies  will  be 
most  constantly  and  actively  (though  often 
covertly  and  insidiously)  directed,  it  is  of  infinite 
moment,  that  you  should  properly  estimate  the  im- 
mense value  of  your  national  Union  to  your  col- 
lective and  individual  happiness;  that  you  should 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         287 

cherish  a  cordial,  habitual,  and  immovable  attach- 
ment to  it;  accustoming  yourself  to  think  and  speak 
of  it  as  of  the  Palladium  of  your  political  safety 
and  prosperity;  watching  for  its  preservation  with 
jealous  anxiety;  discountenancing  whatever  may 
suggest  even  a  suspicion,  that  it  can  in  any  event  be 
abandoned ;  and  indignantly  frowning  upon  the  first 
dawning  of  every  attempt  to  alienate  any  portion 
of  our  country  from  the  rest,  or  to  enfeeble  the 
sacred  ties  which  now  link  together  the  various 
parts. 

For  this  you  have  every  inducement  of  sympathy 
and  interest.  Citizens,  by  birth  or  choice,  of  a 
common  country,  that  country  has  a  right  to  con- 
centrate your  affections.  The  name  of  AMERICAN, 
which  belongs  to  you,  in  your  national  capacity, 
must  always  exalt  the  just  pride  of  Patriotism,  more 
than  any  appellation  derived  from  local  discrim- 
inations. With  slight  shades  of  difference,  you  have 
the  same  religion,  manners,  habits,  and  political 
principles.  You  have  in  a  common  cause  fought 
and  triumphed  together ;  the  Independence  and  Lib- 
erty you  possess  are  the  work  of  joint  counsels,  and 
joint  efforts,  of  common  dangers,  sufferings,  and 
successes. 

But  these  considerations,  however  powerfully 
they  address  themselves  to  your  sensibility,  are 
greatly  outweighed  by  those,  which  apply  more  im- 
mediately to  your  interest.  Here,  every  portion 
of  our  country  finds  the  most  commanding  motives 
for  carefully  guarding  and  preserving  the  Union  of 
the  whole. 


288         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

The  North,  in  an  unrestrained  intercourse  with 
the  South  protected  by  the  equal  laws  of  a  com- 
mon Government,  finds,  in  the  productions  of  the 
latter,  great  additional  resources  of  maritime  and 
commercial  enterprise  and  precious  materials  of 
manufacturing  industry.  The  South,  in  the  same 
intercourse,  benefiting  by  the  agency  of  the  North, 
sees  its  agriculture  grow  and  its  commerce  expand. 
Turning  partly  into  its  own  channels  the  seamen  of 
the  North,  it  finds  its  particular  navigation  invig- 
orated; and,  while  it  contributes  in  different  ways, 
to  nourish  and  increase  the  general  mass  of  the  na- 
tional navigation,  it  looks  forward  to  the  protection 
of  a  maritime  strength,  to  which  itself  is  unequally 
adapted.  The  East,  in  a  like  intercourse  with  the 
West,  already  finds,  and  in  the  progressive  improve- 
ment of  interior  communications  by  land  and  water, 
will  more  and  more  find,  a  valuable  vent  for  the 
commodities  which  it  brings  from  abroad,  or  manu- 
factures at  home.  The  West  derives  from  the  East 
supplies  requisite  to  its  growth  and  comfort,  and, 
what  is  perhaps  of  still  greater  consequence,  it  must 
of  necessity  owe  the  secure  enjoyment  of  indispensa- 
ble outlets  for  its  own  productions  to  the  weight,  in- 
fluences, and  the  future  maritime  strength  of  the  At- 
lantic side  of  the  Union,  directed  by  an  indissoluble 
community  of  interest  as  one  nation.  Any  other 
tenure  by  which  the  West  can  hold  this  essential  ad- 
vantage, whether  derived  from  its  own  separate 
strength,  or  from  an  apostate  and  unnatural  con- 
nection with  any  foreign  power,  must  be  intrinsically 
precarious. 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         289 

While,  then,  every  part  of  our  country  thus  feels 
an  immediate  and  particular  interest  in  Union,  all 
the  parts  combined  cannot  fail  to  find  in  the  united 
mass  of  means  and  efforts  greater  strength,  greater 
resource,  proportionally  greater  security  from  ex- 
ternal danger,  a  less  frequent  interruption  of  their 
peace  by  foreign  nations ;  and,  what  is  of  inestimable 
value,  they  must  derive  from  Union  an  exemption 
from  those  broils  and  wars  between  themselves, 
which  so  frequently  afflict  neighboring  countries  not 
tied  together  by  the  same  Governments,  which  their 
own  rivalships  alone  would  be  sufficient  to  produce, 
but  which  opposite  foreign  alliances,  attachments, 
and  intrigues  would  stimulate  and  embitter.  Hence, 
likewise,  they  will  avoid  the  necessity  of  those  over- 
grown military  establishments,  which,  under  any 
form  of  government,  are  inauspicious  to  liberty,  and 
which  are  to  be  regarded  as  particularly  hostile 
to  Republican  Liberty.  In  this  sense  it  is,  that 
your  Union  ought  to  be  considered  as  a  main 
prop  of  your  liberty,  and  that  the  love  of  the  one 
ought  to  endear  to  you  the  preservation  of  the 
other. 

These  considerations  speak  a  persuasive  language 
to  every  reflecting  and  virtuous  mind,  and  exhibit 
the  continuance  of  the  UNION  as  a  primary  object 
of  Patriotic  desire.  Is  there  a  doubt,  whether  a 
common  government  can  embrace  so  large  a  sphere  ? 
Let  experience  solve  it.  To  listen  to  mere  specula- 
tion in  such  a  case  were  criminal.  We  are  author- 
ized to  hope,  that  a  proper  organization  of  the 
whole,  with  the  auxiliary  agency  of  governments 


290         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

for  the  respective  subdivisions,  will  afford  a  happy 
issue  to  the  experiment.  It  is  well  worth  a  fair  and 
full  experiment.  With  such  powerful  and  obvious 
motives  to  Union,  affecting  all  parts  of  our  country, 
while  experience  shall  not  have  demonstrated  its 
impracticability,  there  will  always  be  reason  to  dis- 
trust the  patriotism  of  those  who,  in  any  quarter, 
may  endeavor  to  weaken  its  bands. 

In  contemplating  the  causes,  which  may  disturb 
our  Union,  it  occurs  as  matter  of  serious  concern, 
that  any  ground  should  have  been  furnished  for 
characterizing  parties  by  Geographical  discrimina- 
tions, Northern  and  Southern,  Atlantic  and  West- 
ern; whence  designing  men  may  endeavor  to  excite 
a  belief,  that  there  is  a  real  difference  of  local  in- 
terests and  views.  One  of  the  expedients  of  party 
to  acquire  influence,  within  particular  districts,  is  to 
misrepresent  the  opinions  and  aims  of  other  dis- 
tricts. You  cannot  shield  yourselves  too  much 
against  the  jealousies  and  heart-burnings,  which 
spring  from  these  misrepresentations ;  they  tend  to 
render  alien  to  each  other  those  who  ought  to  be 
bound  together  by  fraternal  affection.  The  inhab- 
itants of  our  western  country  have  lately  had  a  use- 
ful lesson  on  this  head ;  they  have  seen,  in  the  nego- 
tiation by  the  Executive,  and  in  the  unanimous  rati- 
fication by  the  Senate,  of  the  treaty  with  Spain,  and 
in  the  universal  satisfaction  at  that  event,  through- 
out the  United  States,  a  decisive  proof  how  un- 
founded were  the  suspicions  propagated  among 
them  of  a  policy  in  the  General  Government  and  in 
the  Atlantic  States  unfriendly  to  their  interests  in 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         291 

regard  to  the  MISSISSIPPI ;  they  have  been  wit- 
nesses to  the  formation  of  two  treaties,  that  with 
Great  Britain,  and  that  with  Spain,  which  secure  to 
them  everything  they  could  desire,  in  respect  to  our 
foreign  relations,  towards  confirming  their  pros- 
perity. Will  it  not  be  their  wisdom  to  rely  for  the 
preservation  of  these  advantages  on  the  UNION  by 
which  they  were  procured?  Will  they  not  hence- 
forth be  deaf  to  those  advisers,  if  such  there  are, 
who  would  sever  them  from  their  brethren,  and  con- 
nect them  with  aliens? 

To  the  efficacy  and  permanency  of  your  Union,  a 
Government  for  the  whole  is  indispensable.  No  al- 
liances, however  strict,  between  the  parts  can  be  an 
adequate  substitute,  they  must  inevitably  experience 
the  infractions  and  interruptions,  which  all  alliances 
in  all  times  have  experienced.  Sensible  of  this  mo- 
mentous truth,  you  have  improved  upon  your  first 
essay,  by  the  adoption  of  a  Constitution  of  Govern- 
ment better  calculated  than  your  former  for  an  in- 
timate Union  and  for  the  efficacious  management  of 
your  common  concerns.  This  Government,  the  off- 
spring of  our  own  choice,  uninfluenced  and  unawed, 
adopted  upon  full  investigation  and  mature  delib- 
eration, completely  free  in  its  principles,  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  its  powers,  uniting  security  with  energy, 
and  containing  within  itself  a  provision  for  its  own 
amendment,  has  a  just  claim  to  your  confidence  and 
your  support.  Respect  for  its  authority,  compliance 
with  its  laws,  acquiescence  in  its  measures,  are 
duties  enjoined  by  the  fundamental  maxims  of  true 
Liberty.  The  basis  of  our  political  systems  is  the 


292         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

right  of  the  people  to  make  and  to  alter  their  Con- 
stitutions of  Government.  But  the  Constitution 
which  at  any  time  exists,  till  changed  by  an  explicit 
and  authentic  act  of  the  whole  people,  is  sacredly 
obligatory  upon  all.  The  very  idea  of  the  power 
and  the  right  of  the  people  to  establish  Government 
presupposes  the  duty  of  every  individual  to  obey  the 
established  Government 

All  obstructions  to  the  execution  of  the  laws,  all 
combinations  and  associations,  under  whatever 
plausible  character,  with  the  real  design  to  direct, 
control,  counteract,  or  awe  the  regular  deliberation 
and  action  of  the  constituted  authorities,  are  de- 
structive of  this  fundamental  principle  and  of  fatal 
tendency.  They  serve  to  organize  faction,  to  give 
an  artificial  and  extraordinary  force;  to  put  in  the 
place  of  the  delegated  will  of  the  nation,  the  will  of 
a  party,  often  a  small  but  artful  and  enterprising 
minority  of  the  community;  and,  according  to  the 
alternate  triumphs  of  different  parties,  to  make  the 
public  administration  the  mirror  of  the  ill-concerted 
and  incongruous  projects  of  faction,  rather  than  the 
organ  of  consistent  and  wholesome  plans  digested 
by  common  counsels,  and  modified  by  mutual  in- 
terests. 

However  combinations  or  associations  of  the 
above  descriptions  may  now  and  then  answer  pop- 
ular ends,  they  are  likely  in  the  course  of  time  and 
things,  to  become  potent  engines,  by  which  cunning, 
ambitious,  and  unprincipled  men  will  be  enabled  to 
subvert  the  power  of  the  people,  and  to  usurp  for 
themselves  the  reins  of  Government;  destroying 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS          293 

afterwards  the  very  engines,  which  have  lifted  them 
to  unjust  dominion. 

Towards  the  preservation  of  your  Government, 
and  the  permanency  of  your  present  happy  state,  it 
is  requisite,  not  only  that  you  steadily  discountenance 
irregular  opposition  to  its  acknowledged  authority, 
but  also  that  you  resist  with  care  the  spirit  of  in- 
novation upon  its  principles,  however  specious  the 
pretext.  One  method  of  assault  may  be  to  effect, 
in  the  forms  of  the  Constitution,  alterations,  which 
will  impair  the  energy  of  the  system,  and  thus  to  un- 
dermine what  cannot  be  directly  overthrown.  In  all 
the  changes  to  which  you  may  be  invited,  remember 
that  time  and  habit  are  at  least  as  necessary  to  fix 
the  true  character  of  governments,  as  of  other 
human  institutions;  that  experience  is  the  surest 
standard,  by  which  to  test  the  real  tendency  of  the 
existing  constitution  of  a  country;  that  facility  in 
changes,  upon  the  credit  of  mere  hypothesis  and 
opinion,  exposes  to  perpetual  change,  from  the 
endless  variety  of  hypothesis  and  opinion;  and  re- 
member, especially,  that,  for  the  efficient  manage- 
ment of  your  common  interests,  in  a  country  so  ex- 
tensive as  ours,  a  Government  of  as  much  vigor  as  is 
consistent  with  the  perfect  security  of  liberty  is  in- 
dispensable. Liberty  itself  will  find  in  such  a  gov- 
ernment, with  powers  properly  distributed  and  ad- 
justed, its  surest  guardian.  It  is,  indeed,  little  else 
than  a  name,  where  the  Government  is  too  feeble  to 
withstand  the  enterprise  of  faction,  to  confine  each 
member  of  the  society  within  the  limits  prescribed 
by  the  laws,  and  to  maintain  all  in  the  secure  and 


294         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

tranquil  enjoyment  of  the  rights  of  person  and 
property. 

I  have  already  intimated  to  you  the  danger  of 
parties  in  the  state,  with  particular  reference  to 
the  founding  of  them  on  geographical  discrimina~ 
tions.  Let  me  now  take  a  more  comprehensive 
view,  and  warn  you  in  the  most  solemn  manner 
against  the  baneful  effects  of  the  spirit  of  party,  gen- 
erally. 

This  spirit,  unfortunately,  is  inseparable,  from  our 
nature,  having  its  root  in  the  strongest  passions  of 
the  human  mind.  It  exists  under  different  shapes 
in  all  governments,  more  or  less  stifled,  controlled, 
or  repressed;  but,  in  those  of  the  popular  form,  it 
is  seen  in  its  greatest  rankness,  and  is  truly  their 
worst  enemy. 

The  alternate  domination  of  one  faction  over  an- 
other, sharpened  by  the  spirit  of  revenge,  natural 
to  party  dissension,  which  in  different  ages  and  coun- 
tries has  perpetrated  the  most  horrid  enormities, 
is  itself  a  frightful  despotism.  But  this  leads  at 
length  to  a  more  formal  and  permanent  despotism. 
The  disorders  and  miseries,  which  result,  gradually 
incline  the  minds  of  men  to  seek  security,  and  re- 
pose in  the  absolute  power  of  an  individual;  and 
sooner  or  later  the  chief  of  some  prevailing  faction, 
more  able  or  more  fortunate  than  his  competitors, 
turns  this  disposition  to  the  purposes  of  his  own 
elevation,  on  the  ruins  of  Public  Liberty. 

Without  looking  forward  to  an  extremity  of  this 
kind  (which  nevertheless  ought  not  to  be  entirely  out 
of  sight),  the  common  and  continual  mischiefs  of 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         295 

the  spirit  of  party  are  sufficient  to  make  it  the 
interest  and  duty  of  a  wise  people  to  discourage  and 
restrain  it. 

It  serves  always  to  distract  the  Public  Councils, 
and  enfeeble  the  Public  Administration.  It  agitates 
the  Community  with  ill-founded  jealousies  and  false 
alarms;  kindles  the  animosity  of  one  party  against 
another,  foments  occasionally  riot  and  insurrection. 
It  opens  the  door  to  foreign  influence  and  corrup- 
tion which  find  a  facilitated  access  to  the  Govern- 
ment itself  through  the  channels  of  party  passions. 
Thus  the  policy  and  the  will  of  one  country  are  sub- 
jected to  the  policy  and  will  of  another. 

There  is  an  opinion,  that  parties  in  free  countries 
are  useful  checks  upon  the  administration  of  the 
Government,  and  serve  to  keep  alive  the  spirit  of 
Liberty.  This  within  certain  limits  is  probably 
true;  and  in  Governments  of  a  Monarchical  cast, 
Patriotism  may  look  with  indulgence,  if  not  with 
favor,  upon  the  spirit  of  party.  But  in  those  of  a 
popular  character,  in  Governments  purely  elective, 
it  is  a  spirit  not  to  be  encouraged.  From  their 
natural  tendency,  it  is  certain  there  will  always  be 
enough  of  that  spirit  for  every  salutary  purpose. 
And,  there  being  constant  danger  of  excess,  the  ef- 
fort ought  to  be,  by  force  of  public  opinion,  to  miti- 
gate and  assuage  it.  A  fire  not  to  be  quenched,  it 
demands  a  uniform  vigilance  to  prevent  its  bursting 
into  a  flame,  lest,  instead  of  warming,  it  should  con- 
sume. 

It  is  important,  likewise,  that  the  habits  of  think- 
ing in  a  free  country  should  inspire  caution  in  those 


296         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

intrusted  with  its  administrations,  to  confine  them- 
selves within  their  respective  constitutional  spheres, 
avoiding  in  the  exercise  of  the  powers  of  one  de- 
partment to  encroach  upon  another.  The  spirit  of 
encroachment  tends  to  consolidate  the  powers  of  all 
the  departments  in  one,  and  thus  to  create,  whatever 
the  form  of  Government,  a  real  despotism.  A  just 
estimate  of  that  love  of  power,  and  proneness  to 
abuse  it,  which  predominates  in  the  human  heart,  is 
sufficient  to  satisfy  us  of  the  truth  of  the  position. 
The  necessity  of  reciprocal  checks  in  the  exercise  of 
political  power,  by  dividing  and  distributing  it  into 
different  depositories,  and  constituting  each  the 
Guardian  of  the  Public  Weal  against  invasions  by 
the  others,  has  been  evinced  by  experiments  ancient 
and  modern ;  some  of  them  in  our  country  and  under 
our  own  eyes.  To  preserve  them  must  be  as  neces- 
sary as  to  institute  them.  If,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
people,  the  distribution  or  modification  of  the  con^ 
stitutional  powers  be  in  any  particular  wrong,  let  it 
be  corrected  by  an  amendment  in  the  way  which 
the  Constitution  designates.  But  let  there  be  no 
change  by  usurpation;  for,  though  this  in  one  in- 
stance may  be  the  instrument  of  good,  it  is  the  cus- 
tomary weapon  by  which  free  Governments  are  de- 
stroyed. The  precedent  must  always  greatly  over- 
balance in  permanent  evil  any  partial  or  transient 
benefit,  which  the  use  can  at  any  time  yield. 

Of  all  the  dispositions  and  habits,  which  lead  to 
political  prosperity,  Religion  and  Morality  are  in- 
dispensable supports.  In  vain  would  that  man 
claim  the  tribute  of  Patriotism,  who  should  labor  to 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         297 

subvert  these  great  pillars  of  human  happiness,  these 
firmest  props  of  the  duties  of  Men  and  Citizens. 
The  mere  Politician,  equally  with  the  pious  men, 
ought  to  respect  and  to  cherish  them.  A  volume 
could  not  trace  all  their  connections  with  private  and 
public  felcity.  Let  it  simply  be  asked,  Where  is 
the  security  for  property,  for  reputation,  for  life,  if 
the  sense  of  religious  obligation  desert  the  oaths, 
which  are  the  instruments  of  investigation  in  Courts 
of  Justice  ?  And  let  us  with  caution  indulge  the  sup- 
position that  morality  can  be  maintained  without 
religion.  Whatever  may  be  conceded  to  the  in- 
fluence of  refined  education  on  minds  of  peculiar 
structure,  reason  and  experience  both  forbid  us  to 
expect,  that  national  morality  can  prevail  in  ex- 
clusion of  religious  principle. 

It  is  substantially  true,  that  virtue  or  morality  is 
a  necessary  spring  of  a  popular  Government.  The 
rule,  indeed,  extends  with  more  or  less  force  to 
every  species  of  free  Government.  Who  that  is  a 
sincere  friend  to  it,  can  look  with  indifference  upon 
attempts  to  shake  the  foundation  of  the  fabric? 

Promote,  then,  as  an  object  of  primary  im- 
portance, institutions  for  the  general  diffusion  of 
knowledge.  In  proportion  as  the  structure  of  a 
Government  gives  force  to  public  opinion,  it  is  es- 
sential that  public  opinion  should  be  enlightened. 

As  a  very  important  source  of  strength  and 
security,  cherish  public  credit.  One  method  of  pre- 
serving it  is  to  use  it  as  sparingly  as  possible ;  avoid- 
ing occasions  of  expense  by  cultivating  peace,  but 
remembering  also  that  timely  disbursements  to  pre- 


298         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

pare  for  danger  frequently  prevent  much  greater 
disbursements  to  repel  it;  avoiding  likewise  the  ac- 
cumulation of  debt,  not  only  by  shunning  occasions 
of  expense,  but  by  vigorous  exertions  in  time  of 
peace  to  discharge  the  debts,  which  unavoidable 
wars  may  have  occasioned,  not  ungenerously  throw- 
ing upon  posterity  the  burden,  which  we  ourselves 
ought  to  bear.  The  execution  of  these  maxims  be- 
longs to  your  representatives,  but  it  is  necessary 
that  the  public  opinion  should  co-operate.  To  facil- 
itate to  them  the  performance  of  their  duty,  it  is  es- 
sential that  you  should  practically  bear  in  mind, 
that  towards  the  payment  of  debts  there  must  be 
Revenue;  that  to  have  Revenue  there  must  be 
taxes;  that  no  taxes  can  be  devised,  which  are  not 
more  or  less  inconvenient  and  unpleasant,  that  the 
intrinsic  embarrassment,  inseparable  from  this  selec- 
tion of  the  proper  objects  (which  is  always  a  choice 
of  difficulties),  ought  to  be  a  decisive  motive  for  a 
candid  construction  of  the  conduct  of  the  Govern- 
ment in  making  it,  and  for  a  spirit  of  acquies- 
cence in  the  measures  for  obtaining  revenue, 
which  the  public  exigencies  may  at  any  time 
dictate. 

Observe  good  faith  and  justice  towards  all  Na- 
tions; cultivate  peace  and  harmony  with  all.  Re- 
ligion and  Morality  enjoin  this  conduct;  and  can  it 
be,  that  good  policy  does  not  equally  enjoin  it?  It 
will  be  worthy  of  a  free,  enlightened,  and,  at  no 
distant  period,  a  great  Nation,  to  give  to  mankind 
the  magnanimous  and  too  novel  example  of  a  peo- 
ple always  guided  by  an  exalted  justice  and  benev- 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         299 

olence.  Who  can  doubt,  that,  in  the  course  of  time 
and  things,  the  fruits  of  such  a  plan  would  richly 
repay  any  temporary  advantages  which  might  be 
lost  by  a  steady  adherence  to  it?  Can  it  be  that 
Providence  has  not  connected  the  permanent  felicity 
of  a  Nation  with  its  Virtue?  The  experiment,  at 
least,  is  recommended  by  every  sentiment  which  en- 
nobles human  nature.  Alas !  is  it  rendered  impos- 
sible by  its  vices  ? 

In  the  execution  of  such  a  plan,  nothing  is  more 
essential  than  that  permanent,  inveterate  antipathies 
against  particular  Nations,  and  passionate  attach- 
ments for  others,  should  be  excluded;  and  that,  in 
place  of  them,  just  and  amicable  feelings  towards 
all  should  be  cultivated.  The  Nation,  which  in- 
dulges towards  another  an  habitual  hatred,  or  an 
habitual  fondness,  is  in  some  degree  a  slave  to  its 
animosity  or  to  its  affection,  either  of  which  is  suf- 
ficient to  lead  it  astray  from  its  duty  and  its  interest. 
Antipathy  in  one  nation  against  another  disposes 
each  more  readily  to  offer  insult  and  injury,  to  lay 
hold  of  slight  causes  of  umbrage,  and  to  be  haughty 
and  intractable,  when  accidental  or  trifling  occasions 
of  dispute  occur.  Hence  frequent  collisions,  ob- 
stinate, venomed,  and  bloody  contests.  The  Nation 
prompted  by  ill-will  and  resentment,  sometimes  im- 
pels to  war  the  Government,  contrary  to  the  best 
calculations  of  policy.  The  Government  sometimes 
participates  in  the  national  propensity  and  adopts 
through  passion  what  reason  would  reject;  at  other 
times,  it  makes  the  animosity  of  the  nation  sub- 
servient to  projects  of  hostility  instigated  by  pride, 


300         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

ambition,  and  other  sinister  and  pernicious  mo- 
tives. The  peace  often,  sometimes  perhaps  the  lib- 
erty, of  Nations  has  been  the  victim. 

So  likewise,  a  passionate  attachment  of  one  Na- 
tion for  another  produces  a  variety  of  evils.  Sym- 
pathy for  the  favorite  Nation,  facilitating  the  illu- 
sion of  an  imaginary  common  interest,  in  cases 
where  no  real  common  interest  exists,  and  infusing 
into  one  the  enmities  of  the  other,  betrays  the 
former  into  a  participation  in  the  quarrels  and  wars 
of  the  latter,  without  adequate  inducement  or  justi- 
fication. It  leads  also  to  concessions  to  the  favorite 
Nation  of  privileges  denied  to  others,  which  is  apt 
doubly  to  injure  the  Nation  making  the  concessions; 
by  unnecessarily  parting  with  what  ought  to  have 
been  retained;  and  by  exciting  jealousy,  ill-will,  and 
a  disposition  to  retaliate,  in  the  parties  from  whom 
equal  privileges  are  withheld.  And  it  gives  to  am- 
bitious, corrupted,  or  deluded  citizens  (who  devote 
themselves  to  the  favorite  Nation),  facility  to  be- 
tray or  sacrifice  the  interests  of  their  own  country, 
without  odium,  sometimes  even  with  popularity; 
gilding,  with  the  appearance  of  a  virtuous  sense  of 
obligation,  a  commendable  deference  for  public 
opinion,  or  a  laudable  zeal  for  public  good,  the 
base  of  foolish  compliances  of  ambition,  corruption, 
or  infatuation. 

As  avenues  to  foreign  influence  in  innumerable 
ways,  such  attachments  are  particularly  alarming 
to  the  truly  enlightened  and  independent  Patriot. 
How  many  opportunities  do  they  afford  to  tamper 
with  domestic  factions,  to  practice  the  arts  of  se- 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS         301 

duction,  to  mislead  public  opinion,  to  influence  or 
awe  the  Public  Councils!  Such  an  attachment  of 
a  small  or  weak,  towards  a  great  and  powerful  Na- 
tion, dooms  the  former  to  be  the  satellite  of  the 
latter. 

Against  the  insidious  wiles  of  foreign  influence  (I 
conjure  you  to  believe  me,  fellow-citizens),  the  jeal- 
ousy of  a  free  people  ought  to  be  constantly  awake ; 
since  history  and  experience  prove  that  foreign 
influence  is  one  of  the  most  baneful  foes  of  Re- 
publican Government.  But  that  jealousy  to  be  use~ 
ful,  must  be  impartial;  else  it  becomes  the  instru- 
ment of  the  very  influence  to  be  avoided,  instead 
of  a  defense  against  it.  Excessive  partiality  for  one 
foreign  Nation,  and  excessive  dislike  of  another, 
cause  those  whom  they  actuate  to  see  danger  only 
on  one  side,  and  serve  to  veil  and  even  second  the 
arts  of  influence  on  the  other.  Real  patriots,  who 
may  resist  the  intrigues  of  the  favorite,  are  liable 
to  become  suspected  and  odious ;  while  its  tools  and 
dupes  usurp  the  applause  and  confidence  of  the  peo- 
ple, to  surrender  their  interests. 

The  great  rule  of  conduct  for  us,  in  regard  to 
foreign  nations,  is,  in  extending  our  commercial  re- 
lations, to  have  with  them  as  little  political  connec- 
tion as  possible.  So  far  as  we  have  already  formed 
engagements,  let  them  be  fulfilled  with  perfect  good 
faith.  Here  let  us  stop. 

Europe  has  a  set  of  primary  interests,  which  to 
us  have  none,  or  a  very  remote  relation.  Hence 
she  must  be  engaged  in  frequent  controversies,  the 
causes  of  which  are  essentially  foreign  to  our  con- 


302         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

cerns.  Hence,  therefore,  it  must  be  unwise  in  us  to 
implicate  ourselves,  by  artificial  ties,  in  the  ordinary 
vicissitudes  of  her  politics,  or  the  ordinary  com- 
binations and  collisions  of  her  friendships  or  en- 
mities. 

Our  detached  and  distant  situation  invites  and 
enables  us  to  pursue  a  different  course.  If  we  re- 
main one  people,  under  an  efficient  Government,  the 
period  is  not  far  off  when  we  may  defy  material 
injury  from  external  annoyance;  when  we  may  take 
such  an  attitude  as  will  cause  the  neutrality  we 
may  at  any  time  resolve  upon  to  be  scrupulously  re- 
spected; when  belligerent  nations,  under  the  im- 
possibility of  making  acquisitions  upon  us,  will  not 
lightly  hazard  the  giving  us  provocation;  when  we 
may  choose  peace  or  war,  as  our  interest,  guided  by 
justice,  shall  counsel. 

Why  forego  the  advantages  of  so  peculiar  a  situ- 
ation? Why  quit  our  own  to  stand  upon  foreign 
ground?  Why,  by  interweaving  our  destiny  with 
that  of  any  part  of  Europe,  entangle  our  peace  and 
prosperity  in  the  toils  of  European  ambition,  rival- 
ship,  interest,  humor,  or  caprice? 

It  is  our  true  policy  to  steer  clear  of  permanent 
alliances  with  any  portion  of  the  foreign  world;  so 
far,  I  mean,  as  we  are  now  at  liberty  to  do  it;  for 
let  me  not  be  understood  as  capable  of  patronizing 
infidelity  to  existing  engagements.  I  hold  the 
maxim  no  less  applicable  to  public  than  to  private 
affairs,  that  honesty  is  always  the  best  policy.  I 
repeat  it,  therefore,  let  those  engagements  be  ob- 
served in  their  genuine  sense.  But,  in  my  opinion, 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS          303 

it  is  unnecessary  and  would  be  unwise  to  extend 
them. 

Taking  care  always  to  keep  ourselves,  by  suitable 
establishments,  in  a  respectable  defensive  posture, 
we  may  safely  trust  to  temporary  alliances  for  ex- 
traordinary emergencies. 

Harmony,  liberal  intercourse  with  all  nations,  are 
recommended  by  policy,  humanity,  and  interest. 
But  even  our  commercial  policy  should  hold  an  equal 
and  impartial  hand ;  neither  seeking  nor  granting  ex- 
clusive favors  or  preferences ;  consulting  the  natural 
course  of  things;  diffusing  and  diversifying  by 
gentle  means  the  streams  of  commerce,  but  forcing 
nothing;  establishing,  with  powers  so  disposed,  in 
order  to  give  trade  a  stable  course,  to  define  the 
rights  of  our  merchants,  and  to  enable  the  Govern- 
ment to  support  them,  conventional  rules  of  inter- 
course, the  best  that  present  circumstances  and 
mutual  opinion  will  permit,  but  temporary,  and  li- 
able to  be  from  time  to  time  abandoned  or  varied, 
as  experience  and  circumstances  shall  dictate;  con- 
stantly keeping  in  view  that  it  is  folly  in  one  nation 
to  look  for  disinterested  favors  from  another;  that 
it  must  pay  with  a  portion  of  its  independence  for 
whatever  it  may  accept  under  that  character;  that, 
by  such  acceptance,  it  may  place  itself  in  the  con- 
dition of  having  given  equivalents  for  nominal 
favors,  and  yet  of  being  reproached  with  ingratitude 
for  not  giving  more.  There  can  be  no  greater  error 
than  to  expect  or  calculate  upon  real  favors  from 
nation  to  nation.  It  is  an  illusion  which  experience 
must  cure,  which  a  just  pride  ought  to  discard. 


304         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

In  offering  to  you,  my  countrymen,  these  counsels 
of  an  old  and  affectionate  friend,  I  dare  not  hope 
they  will  make  the  strong  and  lasting  impression  I 
could  wish ;  that  they  will  control  the  usual  current 
of  the  passions  or  prevent  our  Nation  from  running 
the  course  which  has  hitherto  marked  the  destiny 
of  Nations.  But,  if  I  may  even  flatter  myself,  that 
they  may  be  productive  of  some  partial  benefit,  some 
occasional  good ;  that  they  may  now  and  then  recur 
to  moderate  the  fury  of  party  spirit,  to  warn  against 
the  mischiefs  of  foreign  intrigue,  to  guard  against 
the  impostures  of  pretended  patriotism;  this  hope 
will  be  a  full  recompense  for  the  solicitude  for  your 
welfare,  by  which  they  have  been  dictated. 

How  far  in  .the  discharge  of  my  official  duties  I 
have  been  guided  by  the  principles  which  have  been 
delineated,  the  public  records  and  other  evidences 
of  my  conduct  must  witness  to  you  and  to  the 
world.  To  myself,  the  assurance  of  my  own  con- 
science is,  that  I  have  at  least  believed  myself  to  be 
guided  by  them. 

In  relation  to  the  still  subsisting  war  in  Europe, 
my  Proclamation  of  the  22d  of  April,  1793,  is  the 
index  of  my  Plan.  Sanctioned  by  your  approving 
voice,  and  by  that  of  your  Representatives  of  both 
Houses  of  Congress,  the  spirit  of  that  measure  has 
continually  governed  me  uninfluenced  by  any  at- 
tempts to  deter  or  divert  me  from  it. 

After  deliberate  examination,  with  the  aid  of  the 
best  lights  I  could  obtain,  I  was  well  satisfied  that 
our  country,  under  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case, 
had  a  right  to  take,  and  was  bound  in  duty  and 


SPEECHES  AND  WRITINGS          305 

interest  to  take,  a  neutral  position.  Having  taken 
it,  I  determined,  as  far  as  should  depend  upon  me, 
to  maintain  it,  with  moderation,  perseverance,  and 
firmness. 

The  considerations,  which  respect  the  right  to 
hold  this  conduct,  it  is  not  necessary  on  this  occa- 
sion to  detail.  I  will  only  observe,  that,  according 
to  my  understanding  of  the  matter,  that  right,  so 
far  from  being  denied  by  any  of  the  Belligerent 
Powers,  has  been  virtually  admitted  by  all. 

The  duty  of  holding  a  neutral  conduct  may  be 
inferred,  without  anything  more,  from  the  obliga- 
tion which  justice  and  humanity  impose  on  every 
Nation,  in  cases  in  which  it  is  free  to  act,  to  main- 
tain inviolate  the  relations  of  peace  and  amity 
towards  other  Nations. 

The  inducements  of  interest  for  observing  that 
conduct  will  best  be  referred  to  your  own  re- 
flections and  experience.  With  me,  a  predominant 
motive  has  been  to  endeavor  to  gain  time  to  our 
country  to  settle  and  mature  its  yet  recent  institu- 
tions, and  to  progress  without  interruption  to  that 
degree  of  strength  and  consistency,  which  is  neces- 
sary to  give  it,  humanly  speaking,  the  command  of 
its  own  fortunes. 

Though,  in  reviewing  the  incidents  of  my  admin- 
istration, I  am  unconscious  of  intentional  error,  I 
am  nevertheless  too  sensible  of  my  defects  not  to 
think  it  probable  that  I  may  have  committed  many 
errors.  Whatever  they  may  be,  I  fervently  beseech 
the  Almighty  to  avert  or  mitigate  the  evils  to  which 
they  may  tend.  I  shall  also  carry  with  me  the  hope, 


3o6         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

that  my  Country  will  never  cease  to  view  them  with 
indulgence;  and  that,  after  forty-five  years  of  my 
life  dedicated  to  its  service  with  an  upright  zeal,  the 
faults  of  incompetent  abilities  will  be  consigned  to 
oblivion,  as  myself  must  soon  be  to  the  mansions 
of  rest. 

Relying  on  its  kindness  in  this  as  in  other  things, 
and  actuated  by  that  fervent  love  towards  it,  which 
is  so  natural  to  a  man,  who  views  in  it  the  native 
soil  of  himself  and  his  progenitors  for  several  gen- 
erations, I  anticipate  with  pleasing  expectation  that 
retreat,  in  which  I  promise  myself  to  realize,  with- 
out alloy,  the  sweet  enjoyment  of  partaking,  in  the 
midst  of  my  fellow-citizens,  the  benign  influence  of 
good  laws  under  a  free  Government,  the  ever  favor- 
ite object  of  my  heart,  and  the  happy  reward,  as  I 
trust,  of  our  mutual  cares,  labors,  and  dangers. 


XI 
EXERCISES 


DECORATIONS   FOR  WASHINGTON'S 
BIRTHDAY   EXERCISES 

The  hall  in  which  the  exercises  in  celebration  of 
Washington's  Birthday  are  held  should  be  decorated 
with  all  the  patriotic  emblems  obtainable, — flags, 
banners,  flowers,  etc. ;  including  a  portrait  of  Wash- 
ington centrally  and  prominently  exhibited,  with  the 
motto,  "  First  in  war,  etc.,"  and  the  figures  1732 
and  1799,  the  dates  of  his  birth  and  death;  the 
former  trimmed  with  flowers,  the  latter  with  crepe. 
Nothing  available  should  be  omitted  to  render  the 
hall  as  bright  and  attractive  as  possible. 

The  orations  should  be  delivered  by  boys,  but  the 
other  portions  of  the  exercises  may  be  rendered  by 
girls,  or  by  both  girls  and  boys,  as  may  be  found 
most  suitable  to  the  text  and  the  occasion. 


SOME  YEARS  IN  WASHINGTON'S  LIFE 

BY  M.  LIZZIE  STANLEY 

An  Exercise  for  Boys 
From  "  The  Popular  Educator  " 

Let  the  scholars  who  represent  the  ghosts  of  the 
"vanished  years  stand  in  the  background  and  come 
forth  as  they  are  called.    Each  should  bear  in  his 
309 


310         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

hand  a  standard  with  the  date  of  his  year  in  large 
letters  upon  it,  or  wear  a  badge  with  the  same. 
Hang  a  large  picture  of  Washington  on  the  wall; 
above  it  place  the  motto,  "  First  in  war,  first  in 
peace,  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,"  and 
beneath  it  the  dates  of  his  birth  and  death. 

SCHOLAR. 

This  wintry  month  of  storm  and  cold 
Doth  in  its  rough  old  heart  enfold 
A  memory  bright  as  burnished  gold, 
Which  still  lives  on  while  years  grow  old. 
It  pales  not  with  the  lapse  of  time, 
But  burns  with  steady  glow  sublime — 
Through  all  the  years  from  age  to  age, 
A  light  upon  our  history's  page — 
The  name  and  memory  of  one, 
Our  country's  hero — Washington. 

SCHOOL. 

Go,  ring  the  bells  and  fire  each  gun 
In  honor  of  George  Washington. 

SCHOLAR. 

Come,  boys,  let's  have  some  historic  fun, 
Its  theme  to  be  grand  Washington, 
'Tis  better  far  than  simple  play, 
So  range  yourselves  in  close  array, 
While  each  in  turn  his  deeds  do  cite, 
And  thus  we'll  keep  his  memory  bright. 


EXERCISES  311 

SCHOLAR. 

Call  up  the  ghosts  of  the  vanished  years, 
And  question  each  as  he  appears. 

SCHOOL. 

Aha!  ye  years  that  thought  ye  were  gone, 
We'll  call  you  back  with  your  faces  wan. 

(Six  OR  MORE  VOICES  IN  CONCERT.) 

Arise,  thou  ghost  of  seventeen  thirty-two, 
And  to  our  questions  give  us  answers  true. 
What  knowest  thou  of  Washington,  the  grave? 
What  canst  thou  tell  of  Washington,  the  brave? 

(Arise  1732.) 

In  February  of  my  year, 

Unto  my  mind  'tis  very  clear, 

Upon  the  twenty-second  day, 

In  old  Virginia  far  away, 

Was  born  a  sweet  and  gentle  child, 

On  whom  the  heavens  looked  down  and  smiled. 

VOICES. 
Is  that  all  thou  canst  tell? 

(1732  speaks  again.) 

Ah!   there's   another   thing,  just   one: 
They  called  the  child  George  Washington. 


312         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

On  all  things  else  I  am  but  dumb; 
Ask  of  the  years  that  after  come. 

[Retire. 

VOICES. 

Arise,  ye  ghosts  of  his  youthful  days, 
And  tell  us  of  his  acts  and  ways. 

(Arise  1733,   1735,   1738,   1741,   1743,  and  1752. 
Each  speaks  in  turn.) 

1733.     In  seventeen  hundred  thirty-three 
He  was  a  baby,  full  of  glee. 

1735.     In   seventeen   hundred   thirty-five 

He  was  a  child,  all  wide-awake,  alive. 

1738.     I  speak  for  seventeen  thirty-eight, 

He  told  no  falsehood,  small  or  great. 

1741.     Thus  speak  the  lips  of  seventeen  forty-one: 
His  work  in  copybooks  was  nearly  done. 

1743.     In  seventeen  hundred  forty- three 
He  loved  in  military  sports  to  be. 

1752.     My  days  of  seventeen  fifty-two 

No  finer  form  could  bring  to  view. 

VOICES. 

Away,  ye  years!    No  more,  no  more! 

[They  retire. 
Arise,  thou  ghost  of  fifty-four. 


EXERCISES  313 

(Arise  1754.) 

The  French  and  Indian  War  this  year  begun, 
Its  first  gun  fired  by  youthful  Washington; 
The  shots  flew  fast  from  hidden  foe, 
And  many  a  one  was  then  laid  low, 
Yet  never  a  wound  that  grand  form  felt, 
Though  shots  like  rain  at  him  were  dealt. 
Old  Indian  chiefs  declared  a  charm 
Preserved  his  life  from  every  harm. 

[Retire. 

VOICES. 

Come  forth,  ye  vanished  seventeen  seventy-five. 
No  man  methinks  that  knew  thee  is  alive. 

(Arise  1775.) 

I  proudly  rise   from  the  vanished  past, 
Behold  a  dark  cloud  gathering  fast! 
At  first  no  bigger  than  a  hand, 
Tis  spreading  over  all  the  land, 
And  men  are  hurrying  here  and  there, 
Their  brows  all  grave  with  anxious  care. 
Upon  the  green  at  Cambridge  gaze, 
List  to  the  shouts  the  people  raise, 
As  on  his  war-horse,  proud  and  calm, 
Sits  he,  the  nation's  strong  right  arm; 
Beneath  the   spreading  elm-tree's   shade, 
Commander-in-chief  he  there  is  made 
Of  young  America's  armies  all. 
Who  is  it  thus  the  people  call? 


314         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

'Tis  Washington,  the  star  of  light, 

That  shone  through  all  the  country's  night. 

[Retire. 

VOICES. 

Come  back,  ye  years  that  now  are  o'er, 
And  tell  us  of  this  man  yet  more. 

(Arise  1776  and  1777.    In  concert.) 

Together  we  rise  to  speak  his  fame, 
Who  won  a  grand,  immortal  name 
At  Trenton  and  at  Princeton  too. 
More  brilliant  deeds  where  can  we  view? 
On  History's  page  they  brightly  gleam. 
Him  "  first  in  war  "  we  rightly  deem. 

[Retire. 

VOICES. 

Behold  a  shadow  dark  and  weighty! 

Stand   forth,  thou  ghost  of  seventeen  eighty. 

(Arise  1780.) 

Hunger  and  cold,  and  suffering  great 
In  my  last  days  was  the  sad  fate 
Of  Washington  and  his  soldiers  brave. 
The  name  "  hard  winter  "  to  me  clave. 
But  still  the  grand  old  patriot  fire 
Within  one  breast  diio  ^e'er  expire, 


EXERCISES  315 

In  cause  so  grand  he  placed  a  faith  sublime, 
That  far  outweighed  the  sorrows  of  the  time. 

[Retire. 

VOICES. 

What  canst  thou  tell  us,  seventeen  eighty-one, 
Of  this  far-famed,  immortal  Washington? 

(Arise  1781.) 

I  see  the  British  soldiers,  one  by  one, 

Surrendering  their  arms  to  Washington. 

The  war  of  revolution  now  is  o'er, 

And  joyful  shouts  from  every  hillside  pour. 

As  soon  as  war's  black  flag  is  furled, 

The  admiration  of  the  world, 

Bearing  the  love  of  countless  grateful  hearts, 

George  Washington  unto  his  home  departs. 

The  "  first  in  war,"  and  "  first  in  peace," 

His  memory  shall  never  cease. 

[Retire^ 

VOICES. 

Once  more  we  call.     Come  forth  and  shine, 
Spirit  of  seventeen  eighty-nine. 

(Arise  1789.) 

My  year  beheld  George  Washington 
Above  all  men  the  rulin«     -ie, 


316         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

Of  the  United  States  first  President, 
His  name  a  glory  to  our  country  lent. 

[Retire. 

VOICES. 

Come  forth,  thou  ghost,  the  last  in  line ; 
Come  back,  oh  seventeen  ninety-nine. 

(Arise  1799.) 

I  rise  with  sorrow  in  my  face, 

Which  time  can  never  quite  efface. 

In  the  last  month  of  the  Last  year 

Of  the  LAST  century  (dost  thou  hear?) 

There  passed  away  a  kingly  soul, 

And  sadly  all  the  bells  did  toll; 

The  people  mourned  their  leader  much; 

Their  feelings  in  one  mighty  rush 

Swept  back  o'er  all  the  years  gone  by, 

And  heartfelt  was  the  nation's  cry 

O'er  Washington  whom  tongue  and  pen 

Proclaim  the  first  in  hearts  of  countrymen. 

[Retire. 

SCHOOL. 

"  First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  first  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen." 

VOICES. 

Who  would  have  thought  the  vanished  years 
Could  come  back  thus  with  smiles  and  tears! 


EXERCISES  317 

(The  years  come  back  in  procession,  1732  in  ad- 
vance, and  recite  together.) 

Together  we  come  farewell  to  say, 

Ere  in  our  graves  we  hide  away. 

Till  another  year  hath  passed  its  round, 

Our  voices  shall  utter  forth  no  sound. 

Our  lips  have  only  told  a  part 

About  this  great  and  noble  heart; 

But  go  and  study  history's  page, 

You'll  find  him  there  from  age  to  age. 

Before  we  go  a  challenge  brave  we  send 

Unto  this  year,  and  on  till  time  shall  end, 

To  e'er  produce  a  greater  one 

Than  our  immortal  Washington. 

[Pass  out  in  order,  repeating 
"  Farewell,  farewell." 


If  there  is  a  bell  on  the  school-building,  have 
some  boy  at  this  point  ring  it  with  bright, 
quick  strokes. 


SCHOLAR. 

List!  I  hear  the  bells  a-ringing, 
High  within  their  steeples  swinging. 
Loud  let  them  ring,  and  ring,  and  ring, 
And  all  abroad  their  music  fling, 
For  honor  doth  belong  to  him 
Whose  memory  ages  cannot  dim. 


318         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 
SCHOOL. 

Ay,  ring  the  bells,  and  raise  the  shout, 
And  drag  the  massive  cannon  out, 
Let  all  unite  as  though  in  one 
To  praise  immortal  Washington. 

School  sing  in  closing  "  Speed  Our  Repub- 
lic," etc.,  or  some  other  patriotic  hymn. 


SOMETHING  BETTER 

BY  CLARA  J.  DENTON 

For  a  Very  Little  Girl 

I  cannot  be  a  Washington, 

However  hard  I  try, 
But  into  something  I  must  grow 

As  fast  the  days  go  by. 

The  world  needs  women,  good  and  true, 

I'm  glad  I  can  be  one, 
For  that  is  even  better  than 

To  be  a  Washington. 


EXERCISES  319 

THE  STATES  CROWNING  WASHINGTON 

BY  KATE  BOWLES  SHERWOOD 

For  Forty-five  Children 

This  exercise  will  require  forty-five  children,  boys 
or  girls,  or  both,  as  most  convenient.  Where  a 
stage  and  curtain  are  obtainable,  have  the  speakers 
grouped  upon  the  stage  at  rise  of  curtain.  If  a 
stage  and  curtain  are  impossible  let  the  speakers  sit 
near  the  platform,  each  coming  forward  quickly,  as 
the  predecessor  retires.  A  bust  or  framed  portrait 
of  Washington  must  occupy  the  center  of  the  stage 
or  platform ;  surrounding  it  must  be  an  arch  contain- 
ing forty-five  nails.  Each  speaker  at  the  close  of 
speech  hangs  upon  a  nail  the  wreath  he  or  she  car- 
ries. Where  flowers  cannot  be  obtained  in  the  win- 
ter time,  use  wreaths  of  evergreen.  If  a  stage  is 
possible,  but  not  a  curtain,  the  States  may  form  at 
back  of  schoolroom  and  march  upon  the  stage  in 
time  to  martial  or  patriotic  music.  Each  State  may 

wear  a  badge  with  name  if  convenient. 

« 

1.  Maine  comes  marching  on  as  one 
To  crown  immortal  Washington. 

2.  New  Hampshire  brings  him  honor,  too, 
In  offerings  both  sweet  and  true. 

3.  Vermont  here  comes  to  take  her  stand 
To  crown  him  with  a  lavish  hand. 


320         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

4.  Massachusetts,  Pilgrim  state, 
Proclaims  him  hero  grand  and  great. 

5.  Rhode  Island  comes  with  willing  feet 
To  place  a  garland  fair  and  sweet. 

6.  Connecticut,  with  laurel's  light, 
Would  keep  our  hero's  honor  bright. 

7.  New  York,  a  mighty  empire  now, 
Still  crowns  her  gallant  leader's  brow. 

8.  Pennsylvania  holds  him  great, 

Who  spurned  a  crown  to  make  a  state. 

9.  New  Jersey,  Trenton  can't  forget, 
Her  hero  claims  her  honor  yet. 

10.  Delaware  will  wreathe  her  bays 

To  tell  our  hero's  matchless  praise. 

11.  Maryland  crowns  the  peaceful  heart 
Unspoiled  by  cruel  deed  or  art. 

12.  Virginia  hails  her  first-born  son, 
The  proud  and  peerless  Washington. 

13.  West  Virginia  will  proclaim 

The  splendors  of  a  patriot's  name. 

14.  North  Carolina's  wreath  is  brought 
To  him  who  independence  wrought. 


EXERCISES  321 

15.  South  Carolina  follows  on 

To  twine  a  wreath  for  Washington. 

1 6.  Georgia  exalts  him  high 

Who  made  the  flag  of  freedom  fly. 

17.  Alabama's  lore  is  pure, 

For  him  whose  fame  shall  aye  endure. 

1 8.  Florida  a  tribute  brings 
To  him  exalted  over  kings. 

19.  Ohio  twines  with  generous  hand 
The  garlands  of  a  goodly  land. 

20.  Indiana's  wreath  is  green 

For  him  of  grave  and  gentle  mien. 

21.  Illinois  cannot  forget 

That  Washington  is  speaking  yet. 

22.  Michigan  with  love  is  stirred 
For  him  who  always  kept  his  word. 

23.  Wisconsin  hangs  the  victor's  palm 
For  him,  in  peace  or  tumult  calm. 

24.  Kentucky  would  his  praise  prolong, 
For  fortitude  and  valor  strong. 

25.  Missouri  comes  with  gifts  of  love 
For  Washington  's  all  men  above. 


322         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

26.  Iowa  exalts  the  man 

Who  shaped  his  life  on  honor's  plan. 

27.  Minnesota  will  revere 

The  name  that  all  the  world  holds  dear. 

28.  Nebraska  brings  from  summits  high 
Immortal  gifts  that  cannot  die. 

29.  Kansas  speaks  of  duties  done, 

Of  battles  fought  and  victories  won. 

30.  Mississippi  tells  the  tale 

Of  glorious  acts  that  never  pale. 

31.  Louisiana  counts  the  deeds 

By  duty  done  where  valor  leads. 

32.  Arkansas  brings  an  offering  bright 
To  him  who  struggled  for  the  right. 

33.  Texas  will  her  honor  show 

To  faithful  friend  and  generous  foe. 

34.  Tennessee  exultant  bears 

The  crown  a  conquering  hero  wears. 

35.  Nevada  from  her  mountain  height 

Has  plucked  this  garland  kissed  with  light. 

36.  California's  thousand  flowers 
Will  crown  this  patriot  of  ours. 


EXERCISES  '323 

37.  Oregon  brings  offerings  rare 

For  him  she  holds  in  loving  care. 

38.  Montana,  from  the  mountains  blue, 
Has  brought  him  love,  and  honor,  too. 

39.  North  Dakota  loves  him  well, 
And  comes  his  valiant  deeds  to  tell. 

40.  South  Dakota  follows  on 

To  crown  the  patriot  Washington. 

41.  Washington  is  proud  to  claim 
The  glory  of  his  noble  name. 

42.  Colorado  ever  true 

Will  bring  him  loving  garlands,  too. 

43.  Wyoming  from  her  mountain  height 
Would  crown  the  man  who  stood  for  right. 

44.  Idaho  brings  garlands  fair 

For  him  whose  life's  beyond  compare. 

45.  Utah  comes  with  fadeless  pine 
In  his  immortal  crown  to  shine. 


Chorus  of  States- 

We  all  will  honor  Washington, 
His  fame  will  ever  lead  us  on 


324         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

To  better  lives  and  nobler  deeds, 

To  guard  our  land  in  all  her  needs, 

To  keep  us  ever  kind  and  true 

To  friends,  and  home,  and  country,  too, 

In  virtue  strong,  in  honor  bright, 

The  foe  of  wrong,  the  friend  of  right. 

We  all  will  honor  Washington, 
The  first  in  war  when  wrong  was  done. 
The  first  in  peace  when  freedom  came 
To  crown  him  with  immortal  fame, 
The  first  in  all  our  hearts  to-day, 
To  bind  us  all  as  one  for  aye, 
While  battle  and  freedom  lead  us  on 
We  all  will  honor  Washington. 

(Issued  under  the  auspices  of  the  George  Wash- 
ington Memorial  Association.  Used  by  permission 
of  the  New  England  Publishing  Co.) 


THE  NEW  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

ANONYMOUS 

To  Be  Recited  by  a  Small  Boy 

I  am  six  years  old, 

And  like  play  and  fun. 

I  mean  to  grow  up 
Like  George  Washington. 


EXERCISES  325 

So,  when  mother  said, 

"Who  ate  all  the  pie?" 
I  spoke  like  a  man, 

And  said,  "  It  was  I." 

But  she  didn't  say 

She'd  rather  lose  the  pie, 
And  know  that  her  boy 

Would  not  tell  a  lie. 

She  just  shut  me  up 

Where  I  couldn't  see, 
Then  sent  me  to  bed 

Without  any  tea. 


IN  PRAISE  OF  WASHINGTON 
For  Nine  Pupils 

FIRST  PUPIL. — To  the  historian  few  characters 
appear  so  little  to  have  shared  the  common  frailties 
and  imperfections  of  human  nature  as  that  of  Wash- 
ington. William  Smyth. 

SECOND  PUPIL. — No  matter  what  may  have  been 
the  immediate  birthplace  of  such  a  man  as  Wash- 
ington! No  clime  can  claim,  no  country  can  ap- 
propriate him ;  the  boon  of  Providence  to  the  human 
race,  his  fame  is  eternity,  his  residence  creation. 

Charles  Phillips. 


326         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

THIRD  PUPIL. — As  a  ruler  of  mankind,  he  may  be 
proposed  as  a  model.  Deeply  impressed  with  the 
original  rights  of  human  nature,  he  never  forgot  that 
the  end,  and  meaning,  and  aim  of  all  just  govern- 
ment was  the  happiness  of  the  people. 

William  Smyth. 

FOURTH  PUPIL. — As  a  general,  he  marshaled  the 
peasant  into  a  veteran,  and  supplied  by  discipline 
the  absence  of  experience.  As  a  statesman,  he  en- 
larged the  policy  of  the  cabinet  into  the  most  com- 
prehensive system  of  general  advantage;  and  such 
was  the  wisdom  of  his  views  and  the  philosophy  of 
his  counsels  that  to  the  soldier  and  the  statesman 
he  almost  added  the  character  of  the  sage. 

Charles  Phillips. 

FIFTH  PUPIL. — Immortal  man!  He  took  from 
the  battle  its  crime,  and  from  the  conquest  its 
chains;  he  left  the  victorious  the  glory  of  his  self- 
denial,  and  turned  upon  the  vanquished  only  the 
retribution  of  his  mercy.  Happy,  proud  America! 
The  lightnings  of  heaven  yielded  to  your  philosophy ! 
The  temptations  of  earth  could  not  seduce  your 
patriotism!  Charles  Phillips. 

SIXTH  PUPIL. — It  is  the  happy  combination  of 
rare  talents  and  qualities,  the  harmonious  union  of 
the  intellectual  and  moral  powers,  rather  than  the 
dazzling  splendor  of  any  one  trait  which  constitutes 
the  grandeur  of  his  character. 

Jared  Sparks. 


EXERCISES  327 

SEVENTH  PUPIL. — Washington  did  the  two  great- 
est things  which,  in  politics,  man  can  have  the  priv- 
ilege of  attempting.  He  maintained,  by  peace,  that 
independence  of  his  country  which  he  had  acquired 
by  war.  He  founded  a  free  government,  in  the 
name  of  the  principles  of  order,  and  by  re-establish- 
ing their  sway.  Guizot. 

EIGHTH  PUPIL. — Greater  soldiers,  more  intel- 
lectual statesmen,  and  profounder  sages  have  doubt- 
less existed  in  the  history  of  the  English  race,  per- 
haps in  our  own  country,  but  not  one  who  to  great 
excellence  in  the  threefold  composition  of  man — 
the  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral — has  added  such 
exalted  integrity,  such  unaffected  piety,  such  un- 
sullied purity  of  soul,  and  such  wondrous  control  of 
his  own  spirit.  He  illustrated  and  adorned  the  civ- 
ilization of  Christianity,  and  furnished  an  example 
of  the  wisdom  and  perfection  of  its  teachings  which 
the  subtlest  arguments  of  its  enemies  cannot  im- 
peach. Vance. 

NINTH  PUPIL. — 
He  fought,  but  not  with  love  of  strife;  he  struck  but 

to  defend; 
And,  ere  he  turned  a  people's  foe,  he  sought  to  be  a 

friend. 
He  strove  to  keep  his  country's  right  by  Reason's 

gentle  word 
And  sighed  when  fell  injustice  threw  the  challenge 

sword  to  sword. 


328         WASHINGTON'S  BIRTHDAY 

He  stood,  the  firm,  the  calm,  the  wise,  the  patriot 
and  sage; 

He  showed  no  deep,  avenging  hate,  no  burst  of 
despot  rage; 

He  stood  for  liberty  and  truth,  and  dauntlessly  led 
on, 

Till  shouts  of  victory  gave  forth  the  name  of  Wash- 
ington. 

Eliza  Cook. 

IN  CONCERT. — 

Washington,  the  brave,  the  wise,  the  good. 
Supreme  in  war,  in  council,  and  in  peace. 
Valiant   without   ambition,   discreet   without    fear, 

confident  without  presumption. 
In  disaster,  calm ;  in  success,  moderate ;  in  all,  him- 
self. 

The  hero,  the  patriot,  the  Christian. 
The  father  of  nations,  the  friend  of  mankind, 
Who,   when  he  had  won  all,   renounced  all,   and 
sought  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  and  of  nature, 
retirement,  and  in  the  hope  of  religion,  immor- 
tality. 

Inscription  at  Mount  Vernon. 


THE  END 


4098       * 


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